If the 49ers get to the NFC Championship Game, linebacker Fred Warner could be on the field.
The 49ers opened Warner’s practice window, and he is participating in the team’s walk-through practice today.
Warner won’t play on Saturday against the Seahawks, but if the 49ers win, coach Kyle Shanahan says they’re hopeful he can be ready to play for the NFC Championship.
Warner dislocated and fractured his right ankle in Week Six, and at the time it was described as a season-ending injury. But Warner has worked hard in his rehab, and the 49ers have said he is healing faster than the medical staff expected.
Warner says that if it were up to him, he would play this week. The 49ers are being a little more cautious than that, but if they win on Saturday, it sounds like there’s a good chance he’ll be on the field eight days later.
The 49ers’ win in Philadelphia on Sunday was the 40th postseason win in the history of their franchise, the most in NFL history.
San Francisco is now 40-25 in the postseason in their history, giving the 49ers two more postseason wins than the second-place Patriots, who improved their franchise postseason record to 38-22 with Sunday’s win over the Chargers.
The 49ers earned one playoff win before they were members of the NFL, beating the New York Yankees in the 1949 All-America Football Conference playoffs. The NFL counts the records from the AAFC toward its official records, so that win counts as an NFL playoff win.
After the 49ers joined the NFL in 1950 they went through a long stretch of being an NFL bottom-feeder, winning only two playoff games in three decades. But in the 1980s they won 13 playoff games, and in the 1990s they won another nine playoff games. After a down period in which they won only one playoff game in 12 years, the 49ers then won five playoff games in three years with head coach Jim Harbaugh, and they’ve now won nine playoff games with head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Now the 49ers will try to earn playoff win No. 41 on Saturday against the Seahawks.
Now that the Texans have beaten the Steelers in the wild-card round, the NFL has finalized the schedule for the divisional round.
On Saturday, the Broncos will host the Bills at 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The Seahawks and the 49ers will play in Seattle at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox.
On Sunday, the Texans will visit the Patriots at 3:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Rams will face the Bears at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
The decision to put the Texans-Patriots on Sunday afternoon fits with the theory that Steelers-Patriots would have been the late game on Sunday. Instead, the Rams and Chicago will meet in the postseason for the first time since the 1985 NFC Championship on Sunday night.
49ers tight end George Kittle will miss the rest of the team’s postseason run. He likely will miss most, if not all, of next season, too, after tearing his right Achilles in Sunday’s win over the Eagles.
Kittle made a 6-yard catch in the second quarter, and as he attempted to turn upfield, his right leg gave out as Eagles linebacker Zack Baun made the tackle.
On Monday, Kittle expressed his thanks for the well wishes from teammates and fans, and the concern shown by owner Jed York. After visiting with Kittle in the locker room, York had a bottle of tequila delivered to the locker room at Kittle’s request, Diana Russini of TheAthletic.com reports.
“Football sucks sometimes. But I love it,” Kittle wrote on Instagram. “I love these guys and this team. Heartbroken, but I’ve felt so much love and support from everyone reaching out. I’ll be good. Thank you. We aren’t done yet! Also, when your team owner is the first person to meet you in the locker room, you know you’re in a special place. Cheers, all my love.”
Kittle used an emoji of a glass of alcohol.
The 49ers’ trick play touchdown on Sunday against the Eagles featured 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings throwing the ball to Christian McCaffrey with Eagles defensive end Jalen Carter bearing down on Jennings — and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy watching.
Purdy was in a position where he could have stepped in front of the on-rushing Carter and slowed down his path to Jennings. But Purdy made a business decision not to take the brutal shot that Jennings took instead. Purdy said after the game that he felt bad as he saw Carter drill Jennings.
“I was on the edge, sort of blocking, sort of not on the play and then I look back, saw JJ get hit and I was like, ‘Dang. Should I have done something about that?’” Purdy said.
Purdy said he has great respect for Jennings’ ability to step into throws even though he knows he’s going to get hit.
“I looked up in the air, and Christian tracked it, it was wobbling in the wind, and the fact that Christian caught it over his shoulder, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ and I looked back to JJ like, ‘You alright?’ and celebrated. It was a really cool play. JJ is a baller, man. He did the same thing in the Super Bowl. Took a hit, threw to Christian on a trick play for a touchdown,” Purdy said.
Carter got a penalty for roughing the passer for his hit on Jennings. The 49ers are probably better off with Purdy avoiding that kind of hit any time he can.
