It wasn't widely known that Brandon Allen had been dealing with a broken finger until he took the field at Lambeau with a brace on the middle finger of his non-throwing hand. The FOX broadcast revealed that the injury occurred weeks ago during practice when Allen took a hard snap.
Asked if the injury had any impact on his performance in Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Allen dismissed the notion.
"Nah. None at all," the quarterback said.
Allen completed 17 of 29 passes for 199 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception. He also fumbled twice, losing one.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked why Allen got the start over Josh Dobbs despite the injury. Seemingly annoyed by the question, he responded, "Because he's not hurt. ... He's fine. He hurt his finger like three weeks ago."
Shanahan evaluated Allen's performance against the Packers, noting both positives and areas for improvement.
"Brandon, I thought he did some good things," Shanahan remarked. "I thought he made some big throws. Just the plays I can think of, he had a rough one in the beginning that he threw to them. Two plays, he just slipped on that field. That hurt us.
"But I thought Brandon made some big throws and stuff and gave us a chance."
Sunday marked Allen's first NFL start since 2021. He stepped in for Brock Purdy, who missed the game with a shoulder injury sustained last weekend against the Seattle Seahawks. While there is optimism that Purdy might return for next weekend's game against the Buffalo Bills, it remains uncertain, leaving the possibility of Allen making a second consecutive start.
Injuries mount for the 49ers
The 49ers entered Week 12 with a depleted roster, missing key players such as Purdy, tackle Trent Williams, and defensive end Nick Bosa. The situation only worsened during the game.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and guard Aaron Banks both suffered concussions and will enter the league's concussion protocol. Additionally, linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles exited with a knee injury, and cornerback Renardo Green left the game with a neck issue.
Trent Williams' close call
Williams, one of seven players inactive for the game, nearly suited up against the Packers.
"It was close," Shanahan revealed. "I mean, he took it all the way up until today. But he was hurting yesterday a little worse than last week at this time, which made us nervous, and didn't wake up good today."
The mounting injuries and another loss have further diminished the 49ers' chances of salvaging their season and making a playoff push. The road ahead doesn't get any easier as the team now turns its focus to preparing for another tough road matchup, this time against the Buffalo Bills.