At this point, there might not be much for San Francisco 49ers fans to do but laugh.
Short weeks ahead of Thursday Night Football games are tough under any circumstances, but the injury-riddled Niners certainly aren't catching a break in the wake of their Week 4 defeat at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. And with the 3-1 Los Angeles Rams looming in a critical NFC West showdown, the breaks keep on going against head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad.
An already-long injury report merely go longer, and there are plenty of key starters who'll miss the primetime showdown.
49ers Week 5 injury report
Out
- QB Brock Purdy (toe)
- WR Jauan Jennings (ankle/shoulder/ribs)
- WR Ricky Pearsall (knee)
- WR Jordan Watkins (calf)
- DE Robert Beal Jr. (ankle)
Questionable
- DT C.J. West (thumb)
Correct, Purdy will miss his third game of the season after returning from a two-game absence to face the Jags. While he publicly declared the turf-toe injury didn't impact his Week 4 efforts, postgame problems ultimately surfaced, and he'll now give way to his backup, Mac Jones, who at least helped San Francisco achieve wins in Weeks 2 and 3.
Yet the context for Jones will be vastly different in Week 5, especially with his would-be top-two receivers, Pearsall and Jennings, nursing injuries suffered last Sunday. Pearsall, in particular, has been one of the 49ers' most dangerous weapons, and him being ruled out alongside Jennings is arguably the worst possible outcome the offense could have at such a critical juncture.
The Niners' wide receiver room is awfully depleted, headlined by Brandon Aiyuk still on the shelf after last year's ACL and MCL tears. Plus, with All-Pro tight end George Kittle on injured reserve for at least two more games, the entire pass-catching corps is about as C-list as it gets.
Currently, the projected WR-WR-TE trio would be Kendrick Bourne, Demarcus Robinson and Luke Farrell.
Not exactly a world-beating offense.
Still, Thursday night games within the division are anything but predictable, meaning a shorthanded San Francisco squad might still be able to pull off the road win.
Even if the injury report suggests anything but.