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The goal of San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan in Sunday’s Week 18 game against the Rams was, first, to win but perhaps more important was to shepherd his troops through the grind in full health. And he almost got there—almost. There is one concerning injury that came out of the 49ers’ 21-20 final loss to L.A., a knee injury for defensive end Clelin Ferrell. While Shanahan did say that it’s not an ACL or MCL injury (very good news), he was concerned that Ferrell could miss the opening game of the NFL playoffs.
The injury comes, too, as the 49ers await the return of star defensive lineman Arik Armstead, who is out with plantar fasciitis. It is not a good time for one of the strengths of this 49ers team to be pocked with injuries.
“Clelin Ferrell had a knee. No, ACL, no MCL, but we’ll figure out exactly what it is tomorrow,” Shanahan said at his postgame press conference.
While Ferrell, who was carted off the field, would not miss the entirety of the playoffs, Shanahan did concede that Ferrell could miss the opener.
“There’s a chance,” Shanahan said.
That would be a blow to one of the 49ers’ strengths this season. The depth and talent along the defensive front has been a staple for San Francisco, and Ferrell has been a big part of that.
Clelin Ferrell: Injury Won’t Keep Him Out
Of course, it is always perilous to ask a player about his health status, especially when the playoffs are on deck, but 49ers beat reporters did ask Ferrell about whether he’d be ready for the postseason. His opinion differed from Shanahan’s, to no one’s surprise.
From Matt Barrows of The Athletic, who wrote on Twitter/X: “Just spoke to Clelin Ferrell. He said he left the game largely as a precaution. He said he’s optimistic about playing in two weeks. He’s walking around without a limp in the 49ers locker room.”
And San Francisco radio host Larry Krueger got the same reaction from Ferrell: “I just talked to #49ers’ DE Clelin Ferrell in the locker room and he said the knee was just a precautionary deal and that if it had been the Super Bowl, they would have had to drag him off. We will find out specifically tomorrow, but he didn’t seem overly concerned.”
The 49ers could cover an absence of Ferrell on the edge, and could rely more heavily on starters Nick Bosa and Chase Young once the postseason gets rolling. But Ferrell has played 485 snaps this season, per Pro Football Focus, the third-most among the team’s pass rushers. Losing Ferrell likely means a bigger role for midseason pickup Randy Gregory.
49ers Trying to Keep NFL Playoffs Mentality
With or without Clelin Ferrell, the 49ers open their bid in the NFL playoffs in two weeks at home. Their opponent will be the lowest remaining seed, likely the winner of the Eagles-Buccaneers game barring an upset by the Packers or Rams.
If Shanahan had a third goal on Sunday, it was getting and maintaining a playoff mindset for his 49ers.
“That’s really what we talked about all week. Having that playoff mindset, knowing the level that we have to play at coming in a couple weeks,” Shanahan said. “That’s why it was so important for us to get a lot out of this week. We had to practice that way. We talked about it a lot last night at our team meeting and set the schedule for the week. Guys are going to have tomorrow off. But we’ll come here Tuesday, treat it like a day after game on Tuesday and get going.”
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