The 49ers had a trio of injuries coming out of their divisional playoff game against the Packers according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Monday in a conference call Shanahan said running back Jeff Wilson Jr. and left tackle Trent Williams both have ankle sprains, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel is sore after taking a helmet to the knee on his final run Saturday night.
Shanahan expects Samuel to practice in the week leading up to the NFC championship game. The star receiver hopped off the field Saturday night after his 9-yard carry that gave the 49ers a crucial first down before Robbie Gould booted the game-winning 45-yard field goal.
Wilson and Williams’ statuses are less certain.
Shanahan said Wilson is dealing with a low ankle sprain. He suffered the injury early in Saturday’s contest while playing special teams. The nature of his sprain keeps the door open for him suiting up Sunday in Los Angeles.
Williams also has an ankle sprain and the team hasn’t determined whether it’s a high or low sprain yet. They’ll monitor him throughout the week to see how the injury responds. Shanahan likened the injury to the one defensive end Jordan Willis suffered against the Cowboys. The coach originally classified that as a high ankle sprain, but Monday said he incorrectly labeled the injury. Willis played 18 defensive snaps and contributed on special teams in Green Bay after getting limited practices in during the week.
It’ll be interesting to see where Williams shows up on the practice participation reports. He doesn’t necessarily need to practice to be ready for Sunday, but if he doesn’t practice at all during the week it certainly wouldn’t be a good sign for his availability.
Williams missed the 49ers’ Week 18 matchup against the Rams. Second-year OL Colton McKivitz started in his place in a 27-24 San Francisco win.
It’ll be a normal week of practice with the NFC championship game set for 3:30pm Pacific Time on Sunday. Players will get a day off Tuesday before getting on the field Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It’ll be worth monitoring Williams’ participation closely because it’ll give clues as to the extent of his injury and whether he’s on track to play.