Kawakami: Kittle next to McCaffrey — the heart of the 49ers’ locker room culture (paywall)
“When I asked Bethune for an example of some wise words he’s received from Kittle or McCaffrey, he couldn’t wait to tell me.

“I remember Christian told me not to eat right before I go to sleep because your body can’t digest it, sleep and recovery at the same time,” Bethune said.

Have you followed that advice, Tatum? “Oh yeah,” Bethune said, in a tone that suggested that ignoring some McCaffrey advice would be stunningly stupid.

Morstead, meanwhile, had a more veteran viewpoint of life...

The San Francisco 49ers have been dealing with injuries all season long and got two crucial ones in their Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks as Tatum Bethune suffered a season-ending groin injury, while Dee Winters left with an ankle injury.

Winters hasn’t practiced in the first two days of the week ahead of the 49ers’ wildcard matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and his status seems to be in doubt for the weekend.

So, that could mean the 49ers are onto their LB4 and LB5 in a must-win game on Sunday, and they’ll need some more depth....

The San Francisco 49ers defense was expected to have its ups and downs this season, as they entered the year with several rookies earning key snaps, including first-round pick Mykel Williams, second-round pick Alfred Collins, third-round pick Upton Stout, and fifth-round pick Marques Sigle.

Things have fizzled out from there, as Williams tore his ACL, ending his rookie season. Sigle was benched in favor of Malik Mustapha and Ji’Ayir Brown when Mustapha returned from injury. Collins has become a regular, though, after getting eased in to start the season. And Stout might be the team’s most improved defender.

As a...

After not practicing on Wednesday, San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams was on hand during Thursday’s session.

Williams hasn’t played since the first snap of Week 17 when he injured his hamstring. After getting nearly two weeks of rest, it’s a good sign that Williams is testing out his injury, especially after Kyle Shanahan was unsure of his future status on Wednesday.

How important is Trent Williams to the 49ers? They had the third-highest outside zone rate in the NFL. Last week was the first time all season the offense didn’t have a rush at or outside of the...

The Arizona Cardinals requested an interview with San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh earlier in the week.

We’re going to go out on a limb and say that Saleh won’t take the chance in his second head coaching stint in the NFC West, where three of the best coaches in the NFL reside. Not to mention, the Cardinals have had three total wins in the division during the past three seasons—just a hunch.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Baltimore Ravens requested Saleh for their head coaching vacancy after firing John Harbaugh after 18 seasons.

In December, it was...

The San Francisco 49ers’ offense struggled mightily in Week 18 against the Seattle Seahawks without star left tackle Trent Williams and their top perimeter threat, Ricky Pearsall.

Christian McCaffrey didn’t run the ball outside to the left one time. Think about that. A Kyle Shanahan offense, known for its frequent usage of outside zone, couldn’t run what they’re known for against arguably the best defense in the NFL. Shanahan scrapped any wide zone plays. For the first time all season, San Francisco didn’t have a rushing attempt outside of the tackles.

The screen game is something Shanahan has always had...

Sunday afternoon rekindles one of the most interesting new rivalries in the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles clashed in the 2022 NFC Championship game, in which the 49ers unfortunately ran out of quarterbacks. The trash talk escalated all offseason, with barbs being thrown by CJ Gardner-Johnson and Deebo Samuel. Talk is cheap, but the 49ers backed up their talk with a convincing regular-season win in 2023 in Philadelphia. While it didn’t earn the 49ers the NFC title, it was a satisfying victory for a team with a bad taste in their mouth following the loss before...

Black Monday has carried over into Thursday, as coaching firings around the NFL continue. The most recent one is the most familiar. The Miami Dolphins fired former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who finished the season 7-10 after a 1-6 start. McDaniel inherited Tua Tagovailoa in his second year. He was already behind the 8-ball. Sticking with Tua proved to be the death knell for McDaniel.

McDaniel worked with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan at several stops, including as an offensive assistant in Houston and Atlanta, as the wide receivers coach in Cleveland, and as the run game...

Yes, you read the headline correctly. The much-maligned 49ers defense, which was gashed on the ground over and over by the Seattle Seahawks and gave up back-breaking third-down conversions, has a better chance on Sunday against the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles.

I understand. The Eagles have one of the best running backs in the NFL, paired with a top running quarterback. The 49ers are down to their final linebackers on the roster and added Kyzir White to the practice squad as insurance for injuries. The 49ers also missed 18 tackles on Saturday against Seattle. Philadelphia boasts one of...

With 49ers’ Trent Williams, Ricky Pearsall not practicing, could they play vs. Eagles? (paywall)
“Perhaps even more surprising was the inactivity of Pearsall, listed as a limited practice participant all of last week. Shanahan said he did not aggravate the injured posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which has sidelined him for eight games this season, during practices last week. Pearsall is apparently still dealing with the aggravation he suffered against the Bears, which he played through to finish with five catches for 85 yards.”

[Can Shanahan’s 49ers beat his history vs. Fangio defenses in Eagles wild-card matchup? (paywall)...

The San Francisco 49ers will face the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday, with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. PT at Lincoln Financial Field.

San Francisco is coming off a tough 13-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks that cost them a chance at the No. 1 seed and relegated them to a road game in the wildcard round as the No. 6 seed. In the loss, the 49ers really struggled in all facets offensively. The protection had its ups and downs against a tough Seattle front; the wide receivers couldn’t get much separation, and Brock...

Here is the San Francisco 49ers’ first injury report of Wild Card weekend.

Will not practice:

LB Dee Winters (ankle)

Edge rusher Keion White (groin/hamstring)

LT Trent Williams (hamstring)

WR Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle)

Limited:

TE George Kittle (ankle)

Edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos (anle)

LB Luke Gifford (quad)

Kyle Shanahan doesn’t have a strict rule about playing players who haven’t practiced all week. It’s dependent on the player, according to Shanahan: “Whether they’ve done it before. What is the history of the player and stuff like that?”

Wednesday isn’t a rest day for Williams, as it typically was during the regular...