The 49ers are going to have to dip into their quarterback depth this weekend.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced on Friday that backup Brandon Allen will get the starting nod for San Francisco against the Packers.
The move comes as starter Brock Purdy is dealing with shoulder soreness, which limited him in practice this week.
The issue was enough to have him ruled out for Sunday, which is a key road matchup in the middle of the season for the 49ers.
The 49ers — which will also be without star edge rusher Nick Bosa (left hip and oblique) — are 5-5 entering the game against 7-3 Green Bay, sitting10th in the NFC, meaning they are on the outside looking in for the playoff picture.
They now will turn to Allen, who has not started a game in three years.
His biggest action in the NFL came in the 2020 season when he started five games (1-4 records), completing 63.4 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and four interceptions.
Since that season, he’s thrown just 37 passes in the regular season.
He’ll face off against a Packers defense that ranks 15th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game this season (329) and will be without cornerback Jaire Alexander and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.
Allen will have Joshua Dobbs as his backup on Sunday.
The 49ers next face the Bills next Sunday night, making this Packers game all the more important.
