SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers are not counting on getting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back for a possible playoff run even after getting the favorable news that he wouldn’t require surgery on his broken left foot.

“There’s that way outside chance late in the playoffs or something like that,” Coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “But it’s just an outside chance. I’m not really real optimistic about that. But they didn’t rule it out.”

Garoppolo broke his foot in the first quarter on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, and the original fear was that he had a Lisfranc injury that would require surgery and could sideline him for several months.

Additional tests ruled that out and revealed no ligament damage, making the timeline for Garoppolo to heal about seven to eight weeks.

While that would have him healed by the second or third weekend of the playoffs, Shanahan said it would take longer until he was ready to play quarterback again.

“I know it’s a serious injury that will likely keep him out for the year,” he said. “It’s really good news that there’s no ligament damage or anything so he’ll be fine once the broken bone heals.”

The first-place Niners (8-4) are forging ahead with seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy at quarterback.

Purdy fared well in his first extensive action in relief of Garoppolo on Sunday, throwing two TD passes, and has impressed the team since arriving as the last pick in the draft in the offseason.

“We’re trying not to make a drastic change,” Shanahan said. “They have a similar skill set. We got a lot of confidence in Brock. We’ve seen him in practice. That’s why we were confident enough. He hasn’t played a ton football, so there is some unknown out there. But we know he’s got the ability to do it. We know he’s got the mentality to do it.”

BILLS: Buffalo’s hopes of having Von Miller back in time for the playoffs were dashed after exploratory surgery revealed the injury to the top pass rusher’s right knee was worse than previously anticipated.

Coach Sean McDermott opened his news conference on Wednesday announcing that Miller will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair damage to his anterior cruciate ligament. McDermott did not go into detail on the extent of the injury except to say the damage was discovered during a previously scheduled exploratory surgery, which was conducted on Tuesday in Texas.

“Very unfortunate situation for Von obviously and our team,” McDermott said. “We care for him obviously, like we would any player. We know how much this means to him in terms of playing and being with the team. … And we’re certainly thinking about him as he recovers here.”

Miller previously revealed the injury was limited to a tear in his lateral meniscus.

The news is a major setback for the AFC-leading Bills (9-3), who placed Miller on injured reserve last week with the expectation he would be able to return in a month after initial tests showed no damage to the player’s ACL.

The Bills have won three straight and host their AFC East rival New York Jets (7-5) on Sunday.

The Bills made a major splash in March by upgrading their middling pass rush by signing Miller to a six-year contract in free agency. Miller, 33, is the NFL’s active leader in sacks with 123 1/2, and he leads the Bills with eight sacks this season.

CHIEFS: Kansas City could have two important parts of its offense back, with guard Joe Thuney and wide receiver Kadarius Toney returning to practice ahead of the team’s trip to Denver.

Chiefs Coach Andy Reid said that everyone would practice in their first workout since blowing a late lead in Sunday’s loss in Cincinnati. That includes Thuney, who did not play because of an ankle injury, and Toney, who was coming off his most productive game with Kansas City when a hamstring injury sidelined him most of the past three games.

Reid also said that wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who is eligible to come off injured reserve next week, is recovering nicely from his abdominal injury. Hardman has been running outside and put on some of the weight he lost while dealing with the problem, and there’s a chance he could help Kansas City for the stretch run.

The Chiefs are tied with the Bills at 9-3 for the best record in the AFC, though Buffalo holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.

TEXANS: Houston will return to Davis Mills at quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, two weeks after he was benched for Kyle Allen.

The switch comes after Allen was picked off on Houston’s first play of the game against Cleveland last weekend, then had a fumble returned for a touchdown and an interception brought back for another score as Houston (1-10-1) dropped its seventh straight game.

Mills led the NFL with 11 interceptions before he was benched after 10 games.

JAGUARS: Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence didn’t practice because of a sprained big toe on his left foot, but Coach Doug Pederson expects the second-year pro to get on the practice field later in the week and potentially play at Tennessee.

Lawrence was wearing a protective shoe on his foot, which got twisted during a sack last Sunday in a 40-14 loss at Detroit. He was injured on the last play of the first half but returned to start the third quarter.

Pederson called Lawrence “day to day” and said he’s “getting treatment every day and just progressing in the right direction.”

BROWNS: Cleveland signed veteran Reggie Ragland from the Raiders’ practice squad, a move necessitated by losing Sione Takitaki for the season because of a knee injury sustained in Sunday’s win over Houston.

Takitaki was placed on injured reserve. He is the third Browns starting middle linebacker to suffer a season-ending injury, following Anthony Walker Jr. and Jacob Phillips.

The 6-foot-2, 252-pound Ragland gives the Browns needed interior size and experience. A second-round pick out of Alabama by Buffalo in 2016, Ragland has made 47 starts and played in 75 NFL games. He made nine starts for the Giants last season.

RAMS: Coach Sean McVay says Baker Mayfield probably will be active for Thursday’s game against the Raiders, just two days after Los Angeles claimed the former No. 1 draft pick off waivers from Carolina.

McVay wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Mayfield playing against Las Vegas, but the Rams’ coach indicated it likely would happen only if John Wolford’s persistent neck injury forces struggling Los Angeles to try an admittedly desperate solution to its quarterback woes.

VIKINGS: Minnesota placed cornerback Akayleb Evans on injured reserve after his most recent concussion, meaning the rookie must sit out at least the next four games.

The roster move was made to make room for cornerback Cameron Dantzler, who was designated for return from injured reserve following a four-game absence because of an ankle injury.

PANTHERS: Defensive end Henry Anderson said he’s hopeful he can return to action on Sunday against Seattle after suffering what he called “a minor stroke” in October because of a blood clot in his brain.

Anderson, 31, said he felt numbness in his legs and his speech became slurred on Oct. 22, the day before the Panthers were to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His wife took him to a hospital, where he remained for several days receiving treatment.

The Panthers placed Anderson on the non-football illness list the following week, but the team never provided an explanation.