49ers news: Fred Warner, Nick Bosa (hopefully) healthy vs. Packers

The 49ers news cycle this week ahead of a divisional NFL playoffs matchup against the Packers will center on injuries to Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.

The initial San Francisco 49ers news on two of their best defensive players, EDGE Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner, didn’t look overly promising when both players were forced to leave the Niners’ back-and-forth Wild Card win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Bosa’s initial injury, suffered late in the second quarter when nose tackle D.J. Jones’ knee collided with Bosa’s helmet, looked somewhat serious at first. But Bosa eventually walked off the field under his own power and gave a thumbs-up gesture to the crowd.

Only to exit into the locker room shortly thereafter, and San Francisco subsequently ruled him out with a concussion.

Even worse, Warner went down late in the game with a non-contact leg injury and was visibly in a lot of pain.

Anytime non-contact injuries are in play, there’s some major cause for concern.

Fortunately, however, signs are pointing to the team getting both players back in time for another highly anticipated showdown, a divisional-round matchup against the top-seeded Green Bay Packers.

That’s some great 49ers news, at least hopefully.

49ers news: Nick Bosa, Fred Warner both have signs of returning vs. Packers

Shortly after the Niners’ 23-17 win over Dallas, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan caught up with Bosa’s father, who said his son was “doing fine” despite the concussion:

Granted, Bosa will have to clear concussion protocols. And without playing the role of a physician, it’s hard to tell whether or not that two-time Pro Bowler will be available for the matchup with Green Bay.

Given Bosa’s reaction before heading to the locker room and Chan’s report, though, it’s certainly a better sign of the edge rusher’s health.

Despite Bosa’s absence, San Francisco still enjoyed premier pass-rushing performances from the rest of its defensive front, as defensive tackle Arik Armstead explained in his postgame presser:

"Guys just knew they had to step up. We’ve had a lot of injuries and different things throughout the year, a lot of adversity, and guys have had to step up. This was just another situation."

After suffering his own injury, Warner never left the field and was working his way towards getting back in on defense.

49ers news: Fred Warner apologizes for the scare

Losing Warner to what initially looked like a season-ending injury would have been devastating. Instead of an ACL tear or something along those lines, Warner merely suffered a painful ankle injury and tried desperately to get himself back in the game full time.

On Monday, Warner apologized to fans for creating quite a scary moment:

“Sorry for the scare yesterday, everyone,” Warner tweeted. “I appreciate everyone showing love and support for me and the fellas. We’ll be good to go. Huge win, onto the next.”

49ers fans can certainly breathe a sigh of relief.

Both Bosa and Warner played critical roles in defeating the Packers the last time these two teams met in the postseason, two years ago in the NFC Championship game when the Niners dominated Green Bay 37-20 en route to the Super Bowl.

If both players are back, it’s surely a boost.