The 49ers have missed Dee Ford. The 28-year-old defensive end sat out the last three regular-season games after aggravating his hamstring injury during a Week 14 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Ford initially suffered the injury during a Week 11 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers' ferocious defensive line has packed less of a punch in his absence, with more being placed on the plates of Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead.
The 49ers are uncertain if Ford can play Saturday when the 49ers face the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC Divisional Playoff Game, and the Auburn product's status will come down to the wire, according to general manager John Lynch.
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"I just think we're trying to be very diligent and very smart, judicious in the way we approach this," Lynch said Friday on KNBR's "Murph and Mac." "Hamstrings can be so tricky.
"I think this will be a true game-time decision," Lynch continued. "How's he feeling right before the game? And the great thing about Dee, we don't need him for 50 plays. This is a guy who can play in critical downs, and the numbers speak to it. When he's out there, we're different. So, it would be great to have him, but the numbers also say when he's not there, we've been very good."
When the 49ers had a fully healthy defensive line, they have positively dominated opponents by making life hell for opposing quarterbacks. Without their full complement of defensive weapons, though, more has been asked of the defensive backs and linebackers, and that has led to some defensive slip-ups late in the season.
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San Francisco 49ers
The Vikings likely will employ the same game plan that they used last weekend to upset the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round. That formula calls for a heavy dose of running back Dalvin Cook -- especially out of a bunch formation -- keeping quarterback Kirk Cousins out of third-and-long situations, and taking deep shots to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs when available.
Having Ford in the game, even for a spell, would give the 49ers another talented pass rusher to get after Cousins, since he totaled 6.5 sacks in 11 games. His availability also would allow Bosa, Buckner and Armstead to save some of their energy for crucial downs in the game.
If Ford is a no-go, the 49ers still will have the upper hand at Levi's Stadium, but the margin for error will have closed slightly.