Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers placed linebacker Nick Martin on the Injured Reserve. He’s been out since he suffered a concussion in Week 15. After being limited this week during practice, it’s likely the 49ers activate defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos from the Injured Reserve as the corresponding move.
Ricky Pearsall didn’t practice for the third straight day. For most players, that’s a sign that you’re not going to play in the upcoming game. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan had previously stated this week that Pearsall “doesn’t need a full practice” to play. But Kyle Shanahan ruled Pearsall out.
Pearsall will not travel with the team. Shanahan said, “He was close, but not close enough.”
The team will likely rely heavily on Christian McCaffrey in the passing game, a week after McCaffrey wasn’t all that involved. As for the wide receivers, we’ll probably see an uptick in snaps for Kendrick Bourne, and perhaps a bigger role for Demarcus Robinson. Last week, Pearsall was targeted a team-high 30 percent, so there are plenty of targets to go around.
Here’s the 49ers’ final injury report:
Out:
WR Ricky Pearsall (ankle/knee)
CB Renardo Green (neck)
QB Kurtis Rourke
Questionable:
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring)
Shanahan confirmed that Green had a setback, saying, “His neck has been bothering him since the game. It just didn’t get any better, so we had to shut him down for the week.”
Darrell Luter Jr. has been the next cornerback up when either Green or Deommodore Lenoir can’t play.
Linebacker Eric Kendricks is available to play. Shanahan said the plan was for Tatum Bethune, who is not listed on the injury report, to step back into his role as middle linebacker. Bethune, “had a good week, is healthy, had no tag on him, so he’s good to go.”
As for Gross-Matos, Shanahan said, “He had a good two days when we got him out there. We rested him today. We’ll decide on that when we have to, which I think is Monday. We’ll feel it out over these next two days.”
Another defensive lineman, Sam Okauyinonu, had a good week of practice and is also expected to play.
Here is a look at the Colts’ final injury report:
Out
QB Anthony Richardson (eye)
CB Sauce Gardner (calf)
WR Anthony Gould (foot)
S Daniel Scott (knee)
Questionable
DT DeForest Buckner (neck)
T Bernhard Raimann (elbow)
