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The San Francisco 49ers took a massive break after their Week 4 game against the Seattle Seahawks. Things started to look rather bleak after the game as head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that a number of player statuses were pending.
Most notably, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo only played two quarters of Sunday’s game after sustaining a calf injury that sidelined him for the entire second half. The quarterback underwent an MRI on Monday after his injury was a contusion to the calf. Per Shanahan, Garoppolo will be evaluated over the next few days and still has a chance to start Week 5 as the team prepares to face the undefeated Arizona Cardinals.
“It wasn’t as bad as we thought it might have been,” Shanahan said on Monday. “He arrived today and he is in a lot of pain, still in pain. I hope by the time he comes on Wednesday he will feel better and have a good chance. He looks like a bruise. If it hasn’t happened. improved on Wednesday, it will probably take a little longer. “
If Garoppolo is unable to play, Shanahan feels confident in replacement Trey Lance who will make his first NFL start in the divisional contest. Lance wrapped up the second half of Sunday’s game and finished the day 9 of 18 with a 157-yard pass and two touchdowns in his biggest snap share so far this season.
“Every week you want to tell him to approach (the game) as the starting quarterback,” Shanahan said of Lance. “This is the first week he has legitimately had the chance to play the first game. So he has to approach it that way and learn from what he did last night and be ready to play on Wednesday. “
Another big sigh of relief came from the San Francisco All-Pro left tackle. Trent Williams left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent shoulder injury. Shanahan revealed that the offensive lineman is “hand to mouth” and has a chance to adjust in Arizona on Sunday.
Williams’ availability has been critical for San Francisco over the past two seasons. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams is, once again, the NFL’s highest ranked offensive lineman so far across four games in 2021.
“It was probably the best news we have had given what worried us at the start,” he continued. “There’s liquid in there and stuff, so there are issues with that. But it’s something he can hopefully get back before Sunday.
“The two (Garoppolo and Williams) were definitely better news today than the feeling we had last night.”
If Williams isn’t able to go, the 49ers will look to fifth-round tackle Jaylon Moore, who replaced the veteran on Sunday in the two-minute offensive drill in the fourth quarter. He also impressed in his pre-season left tackle shots.
“He did a good job while he was there and if he needs to be ready this week he will have all week to prepare for it and we will give him more reps than he needs. received some, and he will be ready to go, “said Shanahan.
Kicker Robbie Gould injured his groin in pre-game warm-ups and did not make Sunday’s game. Instead, Mitch Wishnowsky saw snaps in Gould’s absence, where the punter connected on an extra point, however, missed a 41-yard field goal and another extra point opportunity.
According to Shanahan, Gould’s strained groin is an injury of about 3 to 5 weeks. The team plans to work out some options in Gould’s absence, as he is a potential injured Reserve candidate. If the kicker was placed on IR, the earliest for his return would be Week 9 as the 49ers host the Cardinals in their second and final meeting of the regular season.
Sting George Kittle continues to work on his calf pain. Last week, Shanahan revealed that the tight end has been playing on his injury since the start of the season. According to the head coach, he will be in a similar situation to last week where his status is managed as the week progresses. The same goes for defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw (knee) and Samson Ebukam (hamstring pain).
Another bright spot for the 49ers is in running back, as the team should see the return of rookie Elijah Mitchell, who missed the last two weeks with a shoulder injury. Mitchell wore a non-contact blue jersey last week as Shanahan noted that the running back’s availability will depend on his pain tolerance. He expects the ball carrier to be fully available when the team returns to training on Wednesday ahead of their second straight division game.
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