Oh boy.

Brock Purdy may have played his final down of the 2024 season for the 49ers after injuring his right elbow in tonight’s loss to the Lions. Purdy suffered the injury in the final minutes of the game and wouldn’t be able to finish because of it. Backup Joshua Dobbs would take over.

Kyle Shanahan revealed that Purdy’s status is a toss-up versus Arizona in the regular season finale. Shanahan says the injury is associated with his nerves, making it alarming. Purdy will undergo further diagnosis on Tuesday when he returns to the 49ers’ facility.

“We’re gonna get an MRI tomorrow and see,” Purdy said. “It doesn’t feel the best, but I’ll just leave it at that. We’ll see tomorrow.”

So, it’s the wait-and-see game with his injury. Hearing that Purdy injured the same elbow that he tore his UCL on is alarming, especially since it’s associated with his nerves. But it could be more of initial pain that can be reduced over time.

“On that sack I got hit on the back side and basically my arm was on fire kind of thing,” Purdy said. “I tried throwing a couple on the sideline and I couldn’t at that point.”

Sounds exactly like the NFC Championship game against the Eagles two years ago. However, Purdy feels confident it isn’t his UCL after he underwent initial testing for it on the sideline. Either way, it is probably best for Purdy to be shut down and not be put at further risk in a meaningless game.

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ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals announced the following roster moves just two days after their Week 17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams:

More on Jones from the team’s official press release:

“Jones (6-2, 225) is the brother of Cardinals wide receiver Zay Jones. He played seven games with the Buccaneers this season and had six tackles and one forced fumble on defense and three tackles on special teams. The 26-year old Jones entered the league with Seattle as an undrafted rookie free agent from North Carolina State in 2022 and played three games with the Seahawks as a rookie. He has also spent time on the practice squads of the Seahawks and Buccaneers.”

Blount was injured in the loss against Carolina and was one of three Cardinals ruled out ahead of Saturday night’s game at SoFi Stadium. Arizona again will not have their core special teams player.

Bailey was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy and now rejoins the team.

The Cardinals will look for win number eight on the season in their finale at State Farm Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers, which will be Sunday, Jan. 5 at 2:25 PM local time.

The first game of 2025 will happen in Atlanta as a former Big 12 team in its first year in the SEC will meet a former Pac-12 team in its first year in the Big 12. Got all that? Welcome to the 2024 College Football Playoff.

[More CFP: Ohio State vs. Oregon | Boise State vs. Penn State | Notre Dame vs. Georgia]

Date: Jan. 1 | Time: Noon ET | TV: ESPN | Line: Texas -12.5 | Total: 51.5

How these teams got here

Texas: The Longhorns took down No. 12 Clemson 38-24 by running over, around and through the Tigers. Jaydon Blue’s 77-yard TD put the Tigers away in the fourth quarter as Texas rushed 46 times for 295 yards ahead of the kneeldowns it took to end the game.

Arizona State: The Sun Devils are the Big 12 champions in a season that came out of nowhere. After a lackluster final season in the Pac-12 during Kenny Dillingham’s inaugural year with the team, ASU surged in the second half of 2024. ASU has won six straight games after a 24-14 loss at Cincinnati on Oct. 19. The wins included victories over Kansas State, BYU and then Iowa State in the Big 12 title game.

How the QBs stack up

Sam Leavitt transferred to Arizona State after playing four games as a freshman at Michigan State in 2023. He won the starting job over Jeff Sims before the season and has emerged as an effective passer in his first full season as a starter. Leavitt as 192-of-304 passing for 2,663 yards and 24 TDs with just five interceptions. He’s also rushed for 383 yards and five touchdowns.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers was 17-of-24 passing for 202 yards with a TD and an interception against the Tigers on Dec. 21. Ewers has thrown for 2,867 yards in 2024 and is completing 67% of his passes.

Players to watch

Texas WR Isaiah Bond: The Alabama transfer missed the CFP game against Clemson because of an injury but is set to return against the Sun Devils. Bond had one catch for 22 yards against Georgia in the SEC title game and also had a costly drop that led to an interception. For the season, he has 33 catches for 532 yards and five touchdowns and has rushed four times for 98 yards and a score. Matthew Golden and Gunnar Helm are Texas’ top two receivers and freshman Ryan Wingo has emerged, but Bond still adds a downfield element the Texas offense badly needs. He’s tied with Golden for the team lead at 16.1 yards a catch.

Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo: The No. 5 finisher in the Heisman race is the man who powers the ASU offense. Skattebo has 263 carries for 1,568 yards and 19 TDs while also serving as Arizona State’s second-leading receiver with 37 catches for 506 yards and three scores. He’s even more of a focal point with leading receiver Jordyn Tyson out for the season, too. While players like Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall stepped up against Iowa State, Arizona State’s offense is going to run through Skattebo.

Key to the game

This is a fascinating matchup between two of the most creative offensive minds in college football. Dillingham has schemed an offense that has scored 53 TDs this season while Texas coach Steve Sarkisian will assuredly have a couple of new looks for the Arizona State defense. Sarkisian clearly saw a weakness in the Clemson run defense in the first round and thwarted it over and over and over. Can he find a vulnerability against Arizona State? The Sun Devils have allowed over 2,800 yards passing this season and are giving up 5.2 yards per play. This may be a game that’s much more about the staying power of the ASU defense than the ASU offense.