The 49ers got out of the divisional round with wins on and off the field. San Francisco defeated the Minnesota Vikings 27-10 to move on to the NFC championship game, thanks in large part to their rejuvenated, healthy defense. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday said the team stayed healthy through Saturday’s contest and should be good to go for the NFC championship Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
There were a couple scares during the game that didn’t linger over the weekend. Defensive end Nick Bosa got the wind knocked out of him late in the game. He stayed on the ground and was attended to by trainers before rising and celebrating his sack of Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Bosa stayed in the game and didn’t have any further issues arise.
Running back Raheem Mostert exited the game in the fourth quarter with a calf injury. Shanahan after the game called it a cramp, but said they’d look into it further. Again, nothing larger than some cramping came of that injury.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo appeared to roll his ankle early in the contest, which may have contributed some to his less-than-stellar performance. He was 11-for-19 for 131 yards and only threw six times in the second half.
“I found out because I was upset with him for being a little bit late to the next play, then I realized that he was hurting,” Shanahan said. “I was told after the game. But, he was fine. He was a little banged up on that play, but nothing after the game. It wore off and he’s good to go now.”
There was also an update on defensive end Dee Ford, who played 22 snaps in his first game since Week 14 when he aggravated a hamstring injury. Ford had a sack and didn’t have any additional issues with his leg.
“It should be the same deal for him this week,” Shanahan said. “No setbacks, so hopefully he will take a step forward. Regardless, he played at a high level for us and was very impactful when he was in there.”
Shanahan had similar news for linebacker Kwon Alexander, who made his return Saturday after tearing a pectoral in Week 9.
“I thought Kwon did a real good job,” he said. “I knew he was going to be fired up to get out there. I’m always nervous for guys when they are that excited to get out there and they haven’t played in a while. You knew he was going to run around and hit. He also did a good job of not making mistakes. He kept his poise on the field. You can feel his speed out there. I thought he made a number of plays on the screens and stuff and even when he didn’t, just making backs come to a complete stop and having to change their course where then the pursuit of the rest of our defense can get him.”
No news is good news for the 49ers at this point, and a healthy divisional round means they’ll be ready to go for the NFC championship as long as nothing crops up in practice during the week.
San Francisco is off Tuesday, and they’ll have their first injury report out after Wednesday’s practice.