Ex-49ers QB says he suffered 2 concussions, brain bleed from Eagles playoff game

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Josh Johnson said he suffered not one, but two concussions during his fateful appearance in the 2022 NFC title game against the Eagles.

The NFL journeyman sat down with NFL broadcaster and analyst Ross Tucker during Super Bowl week for an interview on Tucker's eponymous podcast that was published on Wednesday. The two had previously met, when Johnson led the Commanders to a surprising win over the Eagles in their final regular season game this year. Tucker was on the CBS broadcast for that game.

In the podcast interview, Tucker referenced a pregame production meeting that the television broadcasters have with the players. While those typically stay private, Tucker asked if Johnson would be willing to share what he said during the meeting before the Jan. 4 game, and Johnson obliged.

"Well, most people don't know that I was double-concussed in that game," Johnson said, referring to the 49ers-Eagles NFC title game that took place on Jan. 29, 2023.

Johnson entered that game in San Francisco's second offensive series after Brock Purdy injured his elbow on a sack by Eagles defender Haason Reddick. On Johnson's second play under center, he was also sacked by Reddick. Johnson said he suffered the first concussion on that play but that he had never had a concussion before, so he "didn't really know the symptoms" - and thus, remained in the game.

"The whole time I'm in the game, I just felt really weird," Johnson said. "I never felt like I was present, and I didn't understand why. And I was fighting myself. It was a lot of inner battle because when I found out the side of my brain that I messed up, it was the processing side, it wasn't the memory side."

Then, with 12:36 left in the third quarter, Johnson was hit by Eagles defender Ndamukong Suh while making a pass. His head slammed against the grass as he fell. Johnson told Tucker on the podcast that he tried to stay in the game after that, but a referee saw him stumble and sent him to the sidelines for concussion protocol. He said he failed the concussion test in the blue training tent and was sent to the locker room.

"When I got to the locker room, I sat down on the training table, and I got up and I almost threw up," Johnson said. "And that's when I knew, ‘All right, ... it's something.'"

Johnson's exit left the Niners without a quarterback who could throw and effectively ended any chance the 49ers had at winning the game. (It also led to a rule change after the season.) For Johnson, though, it was far from the end of the saga.

"One of the worst flights of my life - I've never felt as uncomfortable as I felt on that plane ride," Johnson said of heading back to the Bay Area. "We got back to San Fran, went home, did exit meetings the next day, and I was in shades like this and ... everything was just hard to be in light. Then, two days later, I almost passed out in the shower, and my wife called the team and she was like, ‘Something's not right.'

"So when I got my MRI, that's when they figured out I had a brain bleed 'cause everybody thought I had a concussion. … The bleeding got into my spine, to the point where I couldn't touch my toes. So I felt like ... three days ago, I felt like one of the better athletes in the world, and then three days later, I can't even touch my toes.'"

Identifying the issue made it easier to treat, and Johnson said the 49ers as well as a local Bay Area doctor helped him recover in just three months instead of the initial six-month projection. He has played as a backup for the Ravens and Commanders since. He told Tucker that leading the Commanders to a surprising win over the Eagles in the final regular season game this year meant so much to him because of his last experience on the Eagles' field in the fateful 49ers game there.

"Oh, it was awesome, man - especially versus the Eagles," Johnson said. "... The Niners situation happened. The Eagles, they've been getting the best of whatever teams I've been on lately. And so for us to go out there in that fashion, to come back, you know, when we had some turnovers, we had some things not going our way and everybody was ready to give up on the situation, for us to figure that out and pull that victory out? I think it was great for our organization ... and I was excited to be a part of it."

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This article originally published at Ex-49ers QB says he suffered 2 concussions, brain bleed from Eagles playoff game.