The undefeated San Francisco 49ers may be looking at their Week 7 road showdown against the 2-4 Atlanta Falcons as a bit of a throwaway game.
Of course, no team truly intends to lose games. But in the Niners' case, coming off a too-close Monday Night Football victory over the Washington Commanders before having to travel east on a short week, Sunday's showdown might be more of a "survive the storm" scenario rather than a must-win contest.
Or it isn't. It's hard to say.
General manager John Lynch's comments about injured wide receiver Mike Evans and defensive end Nick Bosa alluded to that back-and-forth dilemma.
John Lynch leaves door open for Mike Evans to play vs. Falcons
Evans exited the Commanders game after two quarters following a re-aggravation of his Achilles, and San Francisco's offense went stagnant after the departure.
Considering the 49ers will be on their bye a week after, having Evans sit out Week 7 and resting seems like the smart ploy, although Lynch kept things vague on that front rather than committing to one outcome or another.
"I think it's still TBD," Lynch told KNBR 680 on Wednesday. "We've got a couple of more days. We're going to take every bit of those to try to ascertain where Mike's at. He's done a really good job treating this thing, and obviously, we know of Mike's toughness."
Purely non-committal.
"So, we'll let these next couple of days play out and make a decision when we have to," Lynch continued. "Mike's that type of player that you wait, you let the process play itself out, and we'll see where we're at at the end of the week."
Understandably, the Niners don't want to risk a more serious injury with Evans, particularly with the bye week looming, even if it means they'll be without essentially every one of their top receivers in Atlanta.
Nick Bosa may (or may not) return for 49ers vs. Falcons
Bosa, meanwhile, has been out with a calf injury after just two games this season, yet San Francisco's defensive line has surprisingly played well in his absence.
When asked whether or not Bosa was poised to return soon, Lynch effectively took the same approach as his comments on Evans.
"He's kind of in that same Mike Evans bucket where we will kind of evaluate Nick here in the next couple of days," Lynch added before suggesting there'd be news from head coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday before the team departs for Georgia.
Of course, the general manager would never admit Week 7 is a throwaway game whatsoever despite the injury attrition, saying, "You try to win every game in this league."
However, in the greater context, it wouldn't be a shocker if the 49ers opt not to rush two of their best players back, especially with the bye on the horizon, rather going with who's available in Week 7 and hoping for a positive outcome instead of further injuries.
Hat tip to David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone for the transcription.
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