With a short turnaround in Week 17 and East Coast road trip on the books, the San Francisco 49ers have put their Christmas night loss behind them and moved onto preparations for what has turned into a must-win game against the Washington Commanders.
"We were so hyped up and excited for an opportunity to show the world how good we are, but I think Kyle (Shanahan) did a really good job in the team meeting today putting it to bed," defensive lineman Nick Bosa said. "When you look at it, there's a lot of silver linings, and with a team like this, how we've bounced back before and how mature we are, I think it could be a benefit for us down the road."
The 49ers remain the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and as Bosa went on to mention, the game versus the Baltimore Ravens was a one-score game at halftime and featured some gritty goal line stands in the second half.
San Francisco's Week 17 opponent sits at 4-11 on the year, and at this point in the season, Washington has been statistically eliminated from playoff contention. However, even though the Commanders have no postseason stake in the game, the 49ers know all too well that this is not a team to overlook.
"I think all teams are scary, but especially in that situation, when people have nothing to lose," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "First of all, everyone has something to lose. When people say, 'There's nothing to lose,' there are a lot of guys playing for their jobs too. Those guys know that... I know they are playing a quarterback who has won a lot of games in this league, they have some players on their defense and they have just as good of a chance this week as any other team."
Washington announced they will be starting eighth-year pro Jacoby Brissett, who has made three appearances over the course of the last four weeks, taking over for Sam Howell.
"Washington is the next game, and we're not taking them lightly," Bosa said. "People might think we should beat them, but it's the NFL, and they're going to bring it. I guarantee they're rallying behind their new quarterback, so we just have to stay in the moment."
Week 17 Injury Updates
The 49ers current situation also includes a number of injuries carrying over from previous weeks as well as new injuries from their battle with the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.
The two newest names on the injury report include wide receiver Deebo Samuel who was limited due to a neck sprain and rookie safety Ji'Ayir Brown who suffered a knee sprain and did not participate in Wednesday's walkthrough. Left guard Aaron Banks (toe), tackle Jaylon Moore (concussion), defensive lineman Arik Armstead (foot/knee) and wide receiver Jauan Jennings (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday.
All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams (groin), defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (hamstring), cornerback Ambry Thomas (knee/hand) and linebacker Oren Burks (knee) were all named as limited participants by Shanahan.
DL Sebastian Joseph-Day Makes Practice Debut
A slew of roster moves were announced on Wednesday including the signing defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day, a five-year veteran of the league (Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams) and Super Bowl Champion. He was brought in to help boost the interior of San Francisco's defensive line that has been missing Armstead for the past three games. Joseph-Day made his practice debut during Wednesday's practice.
"I think the Niners speak for themselves. They're a great organization. I'm very familiar with them... Kyle is a no-brainer for me," Joseph-Day said. "I'm just here to do whatever I can to help the team win, whatever that role may be."
