49ers news and injury report: 2 listed out for Wild Card Round game
49ers news: Injury status vs. Seahawks updated
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan announced the 49ers’ final injury update ahead of the team’s Wild Card Round game against the Seahawks, and there’s nothing to be concerned about.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (foot ) and cornerback Ambry Thomas (ankle) are out. Everyone else managed to get a full practice in on Thursday.
That means linebackers Dre Greenlaw (back) and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (neck) should both be expected to play.
"“We know who is playing, and we have a number of guys back that we haven’t had, so I’m excited about it,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. (via 49ers.com)"
That’s especially good news after Flannigan-Fowles left the game Sunday with an injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
As for the Seahawks, four were listed as questionable on the status update: G Phil Haynes (ankle), RB DeeJay Dallas (ankle, quadricep), TE Noah Fant (knee), and DE Shelby Harris (knee). DB Xavier Crawford (hamstring) was not listed but did not practice all week.
Seahawks vs 49ers weather update
We wrote Wednesday that the weather will potentially be a factor on Saturday, as it’s expected to be a wet game. That continues to be the case.
Santa Clara is under a flood watch Saturday through Monday, with the AccuWeather forecast showing more than an inch of rain expected Saturday alone. Temperatures should be in the upper 50s with wind 10-15 mph.
That should only add to the 49ers’ chances, as they have a good ground game, though it remains to be seen how rookie QB Brock Purdy will fare with that on top of the already heightened playoff pressure.
More 49ers news
Brock Purdy was the focus of another national media article on Thursday, this one at Five Thirty Eight.
Josh Hermsmeyer took a closer look at Purdy’s Passer Rating Index, which adjusts passer rating by era to make it easier to compare players across historic eras. Purdy beat out Marino’s rookie number by that measure.
While Hermsmeyer notes Shanahan did all he could to make things easier for his rookie, he shouldn’t get all the credit.
"Eventually Purdy had to stand in the pocket, process the defense past his first read, and deliver the ball downfield on time and on target."
And he did, making numerous veteran completions that a video included in the article demonstrate.
We’re still pretty confident he can lead the 49ers a long way during these playoffs.
Don’t overthink the Wild Card Round game
Brian Murphy of KNBR said not to overthink the Wild Card Round game against the Seahawks.
While there are reasons you can find for worry or doubt, the fact remains the 49ers are just a much better and more complete football team than the Seahawks are.
Some of Murph’s reasons include:
"The 49ers are demonstrably better than the Seahawks, having beaten them by an aggregate score of 48-20 in two meetings.— In those two games, the 49ers out-gained Seattle, 754 yards to 493 yards.— The “inexperienced” Purdy has led the 49ers to 33.6 points per game in his five starts"
With a 9.5 point line in the 49ers favor, Vegas agrees.
NFL news
- If the Bills and Chiefs meet in the AFC Championship game, Atlanta will play host. The game would be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after the Bills and Bengals game ended without a decision when Bills DB Damar Hamlin suffered from cardiac arrest on the field.
- QB Derek Carr thanked Raiders fans after spending nine years with the franchise. The team is now in the process of trying to find a good trade partner.
- Lamar Jackson ruled himself out of the Ravens’ Wild Card game.
