49ers vs. Vikings preseason: 5 key points of emphasis for San Francisco

49ers point of emphasis vs. Vikings No. 3: Giving Brock Purdy plenty of reps

OK, onto the less-cliche type of game talk. Teams always want to avoid injury and limit penalties anyway.

Kyle Shanahan is facing a decision. And if it becomes an easy one for him, it’ll ultimately mean rookie quarterback Brock Purdy didn’t do anything near enough to justify using a roster spot on him as the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart behind Trey Lance and Nate Sudfeld.

Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, has one job to do for the rest of the preseason: force Shanahan into making a tough decision.

Ultimately, that decision will hinge upon whether or not Shanahan wants to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, yet Purdy will also want to improve on his modestly impressive NFL debut against the Packers in which he went 3-of-6 passing with one touchdown and a successful two-point throw to help the Niners win that game 28-21.

It wasn’t all great for Purdy, though, as his first toss in an NFL game situation was so weak that it was nearly picked off by a Green Bay defender.

Since arm strength won’t be Purdy’s calling, he’ll have to be both careful and decisive when he gets what’ll likely be a full second half of action against the Vikings on Saturday.