Brock Purdy suffered the first stinger of his football career in Week 15 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Now, the 49ers quarterback has sustained two stingers in two games.
“I played really well the whole game and didn't think about it or anything,” Purdy said Monday night after his four-interception outing in the 49ers' 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. “It's not even a thing.”
But in the fourth quarter, Purdy felt the feeling again when Ravens defensive end JTVeon Clowney threw him for a 3-yard sack.
“The way I tackled on that play, it's going to shine again like last week,” Purdy said. “So, I had to go through the whole protocol process back in the tent and everything like that. That's how it went down.
A sting usually occurs when the head is forced away from the shoulders, stretching the nerves in the neck. When that happens, a stinging or burning sensation may occur along the nerve's path and into the arm.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that he doesn't believe Purdy will have lasting effects from sustaining two Stingers a week apart. The first came eight days ago when Cardinals linebacker Dennis Cardek made helmet-to-helmet contact with Purdy.
“I'll see how he is [last] After a week, hearing how he was today and talking to him after the game last night, I think he's going to be fine,” Shanahan said on a conference call with reporters. “I don't think it's going to bother him.
“I'm sure it's a pain for him, but overall, I think he'll be good for us this week.”
The 49ers (11-4) return to action on Sunday at the Washington Commanders in a crucial Week 17 game. The 49ers still hold the NFC's top playoff spot and can clinch the No. 1 seed with wins over the Commanders and Los Angeles Rams to finish the regular season.
Purdy had his worst game as a college or professional quarterback on Monday night, completing 18 of 32 passes for 255 yards and no touchdowns with four interceptions. He left the game with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter and was replaced by backup quarterback Sam Darnold to finish the game.
Purdy said he spoke to Shanahan about the possibility of returning to action once he is cleared.
“We just talked about the scene in the game, where we were, got a stinger and my arm is coming back and feeling normal,” he said. “Sam had gone in and beaten him [Shanahan] 'For now, we're going to go with Sam, depending on how things go.' And we don't want anything else to appear with the stinger and all that kind of stuff. But that was where we were in the situation. So, Sam was doing well and we joined him.
Darnold led the 49ers on a touchdown drive to pull the 49ers within two scores. He threw an interception with a minute left on a fourth-and-goal situation from the Ravens' 17-yard line for a 49-yard drive.