San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday that starting quarterback Brock Purdy is in concussion protocol following the 49ers 22-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday. Shanahan said that Purdy started having concussion-related symptoms on the flight home from Minnesota, leading to his placement in the protocol: “He started getting symptoms on the plane. So we found that out when we landed. We were all pretty asleep, but then he got all checked up … yesterday, and now he’s in the protocol.” He added that Purdy seemed to feel better Wednesday than he did on Tuesday.

Shanahan said he was not sure exactly when Purdy suffered the concussion, and he didn’t notice anything from reviewing game film that indicated Purdy was affected by the concussion.  Purdy was hit from Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks when attempting a quarterback sneak on third and short in the fourth quarter, and threw two interceptions to Vikings safety Camryn Bynum during the last 5:30 the fourth quarter; however there was nothing about his demeanor that suggested he was feeling any concussion effects.

Per Shanahan, if Purdy cannot play in Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, veteran backup Sam Darnold will start in his place.

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