SANTA CLARA, Calif. – After San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a sack late Monday night in a 40-34 loss to the Detroit Lions, he felt a familiar and concerning sensation in his right elbow.

“I got hit in the butt and basically just my arm burned,” Purdy said. “I tried to throw a couple on the sideline, but I couldn’t do it at that point.”

Given that Purdy suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in the 2022 NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, it was hard for Purdy and observers not to wonder if he suffered a similar injury Monday night.

While Purdy will undergo further tests on his elbow on Tuesday, he and coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that early signs indicate that Purdy is dealing with a nerve issue unrelated to the ligament.

“We’ve done some testing with UCL stuff and I’m good at that,” Purdy said. “But we’ll just have to take pictures of it tomorrow and see the whole thing.”

Before Purdy spoke to the media and discussed his night, Shanahan said doctors told him they thought the injury was “a nerve issue.” Shanahan said he “does not believe the injury is a long-term concern” but further testing will be needed to confirm that optimistic prognosis.

“I know that when everyone hears about Brock’s elbow and stuff, they think about the elbow injury a few years ago just like I did,” Shanahan said. “But when I spoke to the doctors, he was just hit in the right place. When you get hit there, your nerves are shot and you can’t feel much, but hopefully everything will be okay.”

With the 49ers trailing by 12 and 1:45 left in the game, Purdy fired a shotgun shot and skimmed the field before attempting to escape to his right. There he was greeted by Lions safety Brian Branch, who wrapped up Purdy and took him to the ground to sack him.

As Purdy turned, Lions defensive end Pat O’Connor landed on top of him, hitting Purdy’s elbow with his hand and then his facemask. Purdy was slow to get up and then made his way to the sideline, with substitute Josh Dobbs replacing him.

Purdy was seen on the sidelines talking to doctors who were examining his right hand, wrist and arm. He attempted a few throws but couldn’t regain feeling in his elbow and didn’t return for the rest of the game.

At the moment, Purdy said, the elbow “felt heavy in a way.”

“It has nothing to do with being eliminated from the game or anything like that,” Purdy said. “I love my teammates and will fight for them, this fan base and everyone else until the end. What hurts me is that I couldn’t finish the game. But we’ll see tomorrow.”

Purdy suffered a torn UCL in his right elbow on January 29, 2023 against the Eagles. At the time, Purdy described the injury as far harsher than what happened Monday night. Purdy said at the time that his arm “felt like it was outstretched” and that he “felt like I had taken a lot of impacts everywhere from my elbow to my wrist, front and back.”

That injury required a UCL repair and a lengthy rehabilitation period for Purdy, although he was back in time to participate in training camp last year and was back to full strength by the start of the 2023 regular season.

After the game, tight end George Kittle wasn’t too worried about Purdy’s elbow.

“I’ll worry tomorrow if I have to,” Kittle said. “I’m not worried about it at the moment.”

Monday’s injury prematurely ended one of Purdy’s most productive nights of the season. He was 27 of 35 for 377 yards with three touchdowns and a rushing score before his exit, although he also threw two costly interceptions. Replacing Purdy, Dobbs went 3-of-4 for 35 yards and scored on a 7-yard scramble, but the 49ers were unable to recover the onside kick to try and mount a late comeback.

Shanahan said Purdy’s status for Sunday’s season finale against the Arizona Cardinals is uncertain and that Dobbs would be considered to start that game in place of Brandon Allen because of San Francisco State’s struggling offensive line.

Purdy, for his part, is hoping his elbow is healthy and he can finish the season against Arizona.

“We’re at a professional level and that’s as good as it gets,” Purdy said. “So for me it’s a question of why shouldn’t I play for my team and try to get some momentum going with our guys for next year and make a statement to everyone here and that will be here next year, that I am one.” Competitor? I want to be on the field every chance I get.