49ers’ Kyle Shanahan updates fans on Josh Dobbs’ status ahead of Week 12

The San Francisco 49ers have a big task ahead of them on Sunday. Kyle Shanahan and company are tasked with knocking off one of the best teams in the NFC, the Green Bay Packers, without starting quarterback Brock Purdy and star pass rusher Nick Bosa.

Purdy finished last week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, but suffered a shoulder injury along the way that kept him out of practice this week. Bosa left that loss to the Seahawks because of a hip and oblique injury, and now that ailment is going to cost him another game.

The 49ers have already announced that former Denver Broncos and Cincinnati Bengals backup Brandon Allen will be the starter on Sunday against the Packers. The backup will likely be veteran Josh Dobbs, who has made the rounds in the NFL and was the starter for the Minnesota Vikings for an extended period last season following the injury to Kirk Cousins.

Although Dobbs won’t start on Sunday, Shanahan talked about how valuable he has been for the team this season on Friday.

“He’s been great,” Shanahan said. “(Dobbs and Allen) split the scout team reps so they both get equal reps over there all year and really loved having him in the room. And he has also been fantastic on the pitch.”

The 49ers need to win out to keep pace in the NFC West

While the 49ers have struggled with injuries up and down the roster and inconsistent play this season, the rest of the NFC West has taken full advantage of the opening.

The Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals have all been able to survive their own adversity and keep pace with the division race, making the NFC West one of the most crowded and unpredictable divisions in football.

As it stands, every loss is crucial as these four teams start the season at home. The 49ers have a brutal remaining schedule that includes divisional games against the Rams and Cardinals, both of whom beat San Francisco earlier this season, as well as dates with the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.

If Purdy isn’t healthy and is forced to miss more time than just this game, the 49ers can kiss the playoffs goodbye. But if they want to get back to the Super Bowl again, they need to get hot and find that groove that they haven’t been able to get into so far this season. Purdy’s health is a big part of that, but they’ll have to find a way to win on Sunday without him.

A loss to drop to 5-6 would be a major blow for the 49ers, who risk falling two games behind the Cardinals for the division lead without a head-to-head tiebreaker. It looks like the NFC Wild Card spots are going to be very hard to come by this season, so the 49ers will have to keep pace with the Cardinals and the rest of their division foes the rest of the way.