Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Brock Purdy

Monday, September 29, 12:07 PM

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota got going late in the 34-27 loss to his former team, the Atlanta Falcons, in Week 4, in what could be his final start with Jayden Daniels targeting a return from his knee sprain in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Mariota finished Sunday's loss by going 16-for-27 passing for 156 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He added two carries for 20 yards and was sacked twice for a loss of nine yards. The 31-year-old veteran's touchdown passes went to receivers Luke McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel Sr. In two games in place of the injured Daniels, Mariota has been decent, completing 64.6% of his 48 pass attempts for 363 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. It's not a lock that Daniels will play in Week 5, but if Mariota makes a third straight start, he'll be a low-end QB2 play against a tough Chargers defense on the road.

Monday, October 13, 8:07 PM

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday that quarterback Brock Purdy (toe) will be evaluated on Wednesday with the hope that he will be able to do more in practice this week, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. Purdy aggravated a turf-toe injury in Week 4 and has now missed back-to-back games (four total this year). He did not practice at all last week, but he was seen working on his conditioning on side fields. The 25-year-old signal-caller is believed to be making progress, but his availability for Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons will all depend on whether he can return to practice this week. There's no question that Purdy is San Fran's starting QB when healthy, but backup Mac Jones' strong play has given the 49ers the luxury of slow-playing Purdy's rehab from his toe injury. We should have a better idea of Purdy's chances of returning this weekend after the Niners hold a few practices later this week.