The 49ers walked away from Cincinnati with a win and a few new injuries to monitor going into an important Week 15 contest against a Falcons team that’s chasing them in the playoff race.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday told reporters via a conference call that cornerback Ambry Thomas, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and linebacker Fred Warner were all banged up in the victory.
Thomas suffered a concussion and will start the week in concussion protocol. The rookie cornerback earned his first NFL start and left the game late after taking a hit to the head on the Bengals’ overtime possession. The 49ers are already thin at that spot, so another injury could be rough to maneuver around.
Al-Shaair managed to just sprain his elbow and will be day-to-day in preparation for the Falcons game. The emerging star LB looked to be in a lot of pain while walking slowly to the sideline after suffering the sprain. The fact he escaped without a major injury is great news for him and the 49ers. Despite playing a little more than two quarters, Al-Shaair still led the team with 11 tackles, and notched a sack and a pass breakup.
Another injury for Warner could’ve been a sizable blow to the 49ers’ defense, but after hurting himself late in the first half he was on the field the entire second half. The fact he played the rest of Sunday’s game gives Shanahan optimism for his availability vs. Atlanta.
“I expect him to be, but you never know,” Shanahan said about Warner’s readiness for Week 15. “It wasn’t a high ankle sprain, it was low ankle sprain and he did go back and finish the game. So I’m expecting him to be fine, but we’ll see how the week plays out.”
The 49ers will get Tuesday off, then take the field for practice Wednesday. We’ll get an idea then about how serious the injuries are for the two linebackers, but Thomas’ progression through concussion protocol will be worth keeping a close eye on as well.
