Getty Jeff Wilson ran for 110 yards in the 31-13 home win on Sunday, December 19 against Atlanta.
Kyle Shanahan woke up on Monday, December 20 as a well-rested, victorious head coach following the San Francisco 49ers smashing the Atlanta Falcons 31-13 the day before, in a pivotal NFC showdown at Levi’s Stadium involving wildcard playoff implications for both teams.
But he also walked into his Monday morning press conference in front of Bay Area reporters a hopeful man — hoping some of his key starters can play in the huge Thursday, December 23 evening showdown at Tennessee.
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The ‘Niners have dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout 2021: Some season-ending ones like Raheem Mostert and Jason Verrett. Then others that have sidelined players for more than a week, a la Deebo Samuel. But for this marquee showdown against an AFC contender and the conference’s current No. 3 seed according to nfl.com, the fifth-year head coach is “holding out hope” that some notable 49ers will be in action against the Titans.
Who Could Play
Beginning with the defense, the 49ers went without rookie safety Talanoa Hufanga after the first half due to a knee injury.
Via David Lombardi from The Athletic, Shanahan provided this update on Hufanga:
Talanoa Hufanga has a knee sprain, he is day-to-day (49ers holding out hope that he can play Thursday)
Hufanga recorded no tackles in the 18-point win over Atlanta. Per Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound free safety from USC was limited to six plays — his lowest since Week 5 at Arizona.
Lombardi added two more names that the 49ers head coach is hopeful can see some snaps in the intriguing interconference showdown:
Shanahan is also “holding out hope” that Elijah Mitchell and Azeez Al-Shaair can play Thursday. The 49ers will probably take the decision up to kickoff
Staying with the defense, Azeez Al-Shaair was not in the lineup against the Falcons. But despite being out of action, Al-Shaair is the 49ers’ second-leading tackler at 96 total stops and 57 solo behind Fred Warner.
Meanwhile on offense, rookie running back Elijah Mitchell wasn’t effected by a head injury he sustained against the Cincinnati Bengals. Rather, he was dealing with knee irritation that kept him from carrying the ball against Atlanta. The 49ers, though, received a breakout outing from Jeff Wilson: 22 carries, 110 yards and one touchdown — all marking season highs for him.
There is one more significant member of the 49ers’ home win over the Falcons whose status is also pending for Thursday.
Safety With Huge Goal Line Stops Listed as ‘Day-to-Day’
Jaquiski Tartt is one more 49er dealing with an ailment, as the veteran safety of seven seasons left the Sunday win with a high ankle sprain. He’s now listed as day-to-day.
Tartt was a vital part of a 49ers defense that accomplished this feat at the 1-yard line:
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Tartt was responsible for three of those five goal line stands.
During the first quarter, plus on Atlanta’s first possession following a kickoff return recovery, the Falcons chose to gamble and go for six points on fourth and goal. However, “Quaski” rejected this scoring attempt:
4th & 1, Quaski said nope! 🚫
📺 #ATLvsSF on CBS
The former Samford Bulldog wasn’t done. With the ‘Niners needing two more defensive stops to seal the win, Tartt turned to his shoulder pads for both: One on the huge hit on Matt Ryan, the other a pass breakup in the end zone captured below:
Tartt took to his personal Twitter account to celebrate the punishing hit on “Matty Ice.”
Oddly, Tartt was given a low PFF grade despite the crucial stops. But that didn’t stop Tartt from blasting PFF.
Overall, the 49ers are heading to Nashville winners of their last six of eight games and now have complete control of the No. 6 seed in the seven-team playoffs. And S.F. could be strengthened through restrengthened players who received some rest from their injuries.