Nick Bosa’s return keeps getting pushed back, and now the San Francisco 49ers are staring at an even stranger problem heading into Week 7: they may not have enough healthy bodies to get through Sunday.
Bosa, who has been out since hurting his calf in practice before Week 3, will miss a fifth straight game against the Atlanta Falcons. The defensive end had circled this matchup as his target date and even hoped to be back for last week’s game against the Commanders, but that plan fell apart after a workout left him sore again.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan laid out the setback on Friday, explaining that the optimism around Bosa came from the player’s own read on his recovery. “I just think he was a little too optimistic, especially for Bosa because he’s pretty accurate,” Shanahan told reporters.
“He doesn’t say stuff like that unless it’s accurate. I just think it surprised him.”
Shanahan said Bosa went through a workout after speaking with reporters, but the next day brought more soreness than anyone wanted to see. “That wasn’t a great sign, especially going to play on turf and stuff this week, so I think it was more he was just a little too optimistic,” Shanahan added.
The bigger issue is the accumulation of injuries across the roster. Shanahan said the situation has become serious enough that he might not even be able to find 48 healthy players for Sunday’s game.
When asked whether he had ever dealt with a week where dressing that many players was a concern, he said no. “No, I don’t think so,” Shanahan said.
“I don’t think here. I don’t think ever in my career, so it’s a unique situation.”
Even with all those absences, San Francisco is still winning. Shanahan has kept the team moving through the injury mess, and his work has only added to his Coach of the Year case. But the 49ers’ growing injury list is bringing a fresh challenge just as Atlanta comes to town.
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Falcons Face Their Biggest Test Yet Against San Franciscos Most Dangerous Stars
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Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich did not shy away from the challenge, pointing to the standard those players bring and the difficulty of matching that level for four quarters. For Atlanta, this is more than just another early-season measuring stick. It is a chance to see how the defense handles one of the NFLs most complete teams while the emotions around Morris return add another layer to an already demanding afternoon. [Read more 🡒]