SANTA CLARA — The 49ers have a quick turnaround to get healthy and get over their loss in Arizona. That might be just be what they need mentally, but it will be a definite challenge physically.
The 49ers have been plagued by the injury bug this season, and the team’s 18-15 loss to the Cardinals was no different. They continued to lose players to injury as the game progressed.
Three players left game with injuries and did not return. Reuben Foster departed with a hamstring injury, Jaquiski Tartt suffered a shoulder injury and Antone Exum Jr. was placed in the concussion protocol.
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SIGN UP HERE Those three aren’t the only players battling injuries, so Coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff chose to let the team recover upon retuning from the desert. The team didn’t practice on Monday and only players that were rehabbing injuries were asked to come into the building.
“Our players, we had them sleep in a little bit today because of the short week,” Shanahan said Monday. “We’re trying to get them extra rest.
“So, the guys who are injured have got to come in and rehab, but everyone else we’re not going to see today. Then, they’re going to come in [Tuesday], we’re going to push it back a little bit more [Tuesday] morning just so they can sleep in a little bit more. Then, I’ll talk about this game quickly at our team meeting, but we’ve got to move on to Oakland very fast.”
While more time between games is what the team needs for their physical health, a quick turnaround could be a positive for their mental recovery. Through all of the close losses that the 49ers have suffered, Shanahan has enforced the “24-hour” rule to mentally get over each loss.
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With the short week, there’s even less time.
“It’s a little easier when you don’t have a choice,” Shanahan said. “The players have got to come in here for treatment, but my experience with these games that come so fast and guys don’t have the time to recover, the best thing for recovery is sleep."
Quarterback C.J. Beathard showed up on the injury report for Monday with a right wrist injury. He spoke about urgency to get ready for they Thursday night match-up.
“We have four days to fix it,” Beathard said on Sunday. “And sitting around feeling sorry for yourself or pointing fingers isn’t going to help us do anything. We need to get better on every facet and find a way to win on Thursday.”
After the loss, Shanahan expressed his feelings succinctly: “Thursday can’t come quick enough.”