Week 6 injury report: Hurts to IR with a calf blood clot as the 49ers lean on Purdy

Hurts to IR; McKee starts

The Eagles announced on Saturday that they have placed quarterback Jalen Hurts on Injured Reserve due to the superficial blood clot in his calf, the team said. That puts Philadelphia's Week 6 plans in the hands of Tanner McKee, who the Eagles say is set to start this Sunday when the Carolina Panthers come to Lincoln Financial Field. m:…5528

The Eagles used the open active-roster spot to sign running back Jaydon Blue from the practice squad to the active roster, and elevated outside linebacker Keyshawn James-Newby and safety Cole Wisniewski from the practice squad for Sunday's game. James-Newby and Wisniewski were both seventh-round picks of the Eagles in the 2026 draft. Blue was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2025 draft out of Texas; he recorded 129 rushing yards and a touchdown in five games as a rookie and ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. m:…5528

San Francisco's crowded report

In San Francisco, the injury report is just as crowded. The 49ers ruled out wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (hamstring) and defensive lineman Nick Bosa (knee, calf) for Monday night's home game against Washington — the team's first primetime matchup of the season, which it enters at 5-0. Also ruled out: linebacker Garret Wallow (hamstring) and safety Marques Sigle (ankle). Fullback Kyle Juszczyk is expected to return Monday after missing the Week 5 game against Seattle with a knee injury, while wide receiver Mike Evans (ribs, Achilles) is listed as questionable. The reporters noted that about 22 of Evans's 24 catches this season have resulted in first downs — production the 49ers would miss if he sits. m:…4946

With the lineup short-handed, the 49ers are leaning on Brock Purdy. The team says its quarterback is approaching eligibility for the NFL's all-time career passer rating record, with head coach Kyle Shanahan crediting Purdy's consistency and team-first approach. Washington's beat reporters have Purdy ranked in the top five in QBR, passer rating and completion percentage. m:…4946 m:…4816

What Washington is walking into

Washington's beat reporters describe a defense that fades late. Zach Selby described the Commanders as the league's worst team in second-half points allowed, and the group notes Washington blitzes at the second-highest rate in the NFL but ranks 27th in sacks. San Francisco ranks second in the league in second-half points per game; the reporters say Brock Purdy has not been sacked in the second half of any game this season. As the latest example of the fade, the reporters walked through the Giants' recent second-half scoring drives: field goal, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, then a kneel-down at the two-yard line. George Kittle leads the 49ers in receiving. m:…4816

Why it matters

This suggests Week 6 will be shaped as much by the training room as the game plan. Philadelphia loses its starting quarterback to injured reserve and turns to McKee against Carolina, while San Francisco — unbeaten at 5-0 — hosts Washington on Monday night without Samuel and Bosa but with a quarterback approaching a passer-rating record. The implication the beat reporters keep returning to: a Washington defense that gives up the most second-half points in the league faces a 49ers team that scores the second-most of them, behind a quarterback who hasn't taken a second-half sack all year. If that pattern holds, the 49ers' absences may not matter. m:…5528 m:…4946 m:…4816