Tag: 49ers injuries

Report: Dee Ford will play vs. Vikings

Steve Wyche of the NFL Network reported Dee Ford will play vs. the Vikings on Saturday.

The 49ers will go into their divisional playoff game against the Vikings with a fully healthy slate of defenders according to Steve Wyche of the NFL Network.

Wyche reported Saturday morning before the game that Ford, along with linebacker Kwon Alexander, would be used in San Francisco’s first playoff game since the 2013 season.

The 49ers didn’t express a lot of optimism during the week that Ford would play after he missed the final four games of the year with a hamstring injury. He was limited in practice all week and officially listed as ‘questionable’ on the team’s injury report.

Wyche said defensive coordinator Robert Saleh indicated Ford would only be used as a pass-rush specialist in passing situations. That should limit his snaps and allow him to be as effective as possible while ensuring he’s healthy for any additional playoff games the 49ers might play.

Alexander’s inclusion in Wyche’s report isn’t a huge surprise after the team activated him Friday off Injured Reserve. They likely would’ve kept him on IR if they had any doubts about his ability to give them snaps Saturday.

If Ford does play, it’s a huge plus for a 49ers pass rush that’s struggled without him. Numbers indicate his presence on the edge turned San Francisco’s good pass rush into an elite unit. They’ll need that Saturday and throughout the playoffs if they’re going to have success against the group of quarterbacks they’ll see en route to a championship.

Jaquiski Tartt ruled out, Joe Staley, 2 WRs questionable vs. Saints

The 49ers will get a slew of starters back vs. New Orleans.

The 49ers will have to deal with Drew Brees and the Saints without a member of the secondary. Strong safety Jaquiski Tartt on Friday was officially ruled out with a broken rib he suffered in last week’s loss to the Ravens. Defensive tackle Jullian Taylor was also ruled out.

Second-year safety Marcell Harris played well filling in for Tartt when the starter went down in Baltimore. Harris’ strip and fumble recovery on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson swung the tide of the game briefly in the 49ers’ favor. Harris will start in Tartt’s stead against the Saints.

Taylor injured his elbow and was expected to be ruled out for Week 14 and Week 15. His status beyond the next couple weeks is uncertain.

The good news on the 49ers’ injury report was the players missing from it. Offensive tackle Joe Staley is officially questionable after limited practices all week. He’s still working his way back from finger surgery. Defensive end Dee Ford,  defensive tackle DJ Jones and running back Matt Breida should all play against New Orleans.

There was optimism from head coach Kyle Shanahan that those three would be good to go against the Saints, and a week of practice validated that positivity. All three were full participants in Friday’s practice and will be ready to go Sunday.

Shanahan was less optimistic about wide receiver Dante Pettis returning from a knee injury. He’s officially questionable, alongside fellow wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. Goodwin was a late add to the status report with knee and foot injuries.

Defensive lineman Kentavius Street still hasn’t been activated off Injured Reserve, although his practice window did open. He can still be added to the roster Saturday if the team believes he’s ready to make his NFL debut.

Here’s the full status report:

Out

S Jaquiski Tartt (ribs)
DL Jullian Taylor (elbow)

Questionable

WR Dante Pettis (knee)
WR Marquise Goodwin (knee, foot)
OT Joe Staley (finger)

 

49ers could get 4 key players back for showdown with Ravens

The 49ers may get healthy just in time for their toughest test of the season.

The 49ers might be as healthy as they’ve been all year when they roll into Baltimore on Sunday for a showdown with MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday indicated in his press conference that left tackle Joe Staley, defensive end Dee Ford, running back Matt Breida and kicker Robbie Gould were all progressing well and game-time decisions.

That’s a much better prognosis than last week when it became clear early in the week that San Francisco would face the Packers without their four starters.

The 49ers have survived a slew of injuries thanks to some quality depth on their roster, but they’re not going to reach their peak until they’re at full strength. Getting Staley, Ford, Breida and Gould back would put San Francisco as close to peak health as they’ve been all season.

Staley had surgery a finger he dislocated and fractured against the Seahawks in Week 10. Breida aggravated an ankle injury that same game and hasn’t played since. Ford hurt his hamstring the following week against the Cardinals, and Gould injured his quad in practice leading up to the Seattle game.

Gould told Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area that he plans to play Sunday.

Ford’s return would come at a good time after Damontre Moore, who replaced Ronald Blair, broke his forearm Sunday night. San Francisco is suddenly thin at defensive end, and putting Ford back in the lineup would be a nice boost for the pass rush.

The offensive tackles also struggled Sunday night. Justin Skule, Staley’s backup, was pulled in the second quarter in favor of Daniel Brunskill. Staley’s return to the lineup to shore up Jimmy Garoppolo’s blind side would help the offense immensely.

Breida’s insertion back into the lineup would give the running game an element of explosiveness its been missing with him banged up. He’s a home run threat every time he touches the ball. While the 49ers’ other backs are talented, Breida is simply a different type of electric that helps power San Francisco’s rushing attack.

The 49ers won’t practice until Wednesday, at which point we’ll get a better idea of how close each of those players are. Shanahan’s update Monday is optimistic though, and that’s as good as they can hope for given how bad the injury situation has been to this point.