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nick wagner
Santa Clara, California – For the second consecutive week and fourth time in the first six games, mac jones Expected to start at quarterback for san francisco 49ers On Sunday.
Jones was limited in practice all week due to left knee and oblique ailments and is listed as questionable for Sunday. Despite this, he is set to start against tampa bay buccaneersAs coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday on KNBR radio.
“There is already a lot [said he will play]Shanahan said, referring to his radio interview on Friday. “But if there is any doubt you have to keep it that way. …It’s all recorded. I don’t think I have to repeat my answer.”
Jones’ fourth start as the starting quarterback brock purdy He is still dealing with a toe injury that he suffered in Week 1 and aggravated in Week 4. Purdy did not practice this week and was officially ruled out on Friday.
Jones did not make any strong throws in Thursday’s practice, later saying that he was “saving” throws so he could better prepare for Sunday’s game. However, he made some throws on Friday.
Jones expressed confidence that he will be able to play against the Bucs but acknowledged that a lot will depend on how the rest of the week goes.
Jones suffered the knee injury during a preseason game. las vegas raidersAnd although he recovered, he turned it against him in Week 3. Arizona CardinalsHe then applied his pressure on San Francisco’s final offensive snap against the Rams.
But Jones and the Niners had a few extra days to recover after Thursday night’s game and then planned to limit his workload this week to make him available in Tampa for a clash of 4-1 NFC teams.
“I believe that if you can protect yourself, you should be out there and play,” Jones said. “A lot of guys are working through stuff. That’s the NFL, and I’ve learned you just have to be able to go out there and protect yourself and play. … You can be tough and have a good attitude and work through the mental and physical stuff, and that’s all you can really ask for.”
Much like last week against the Rams, Jones and the Niners’ offense will enter this game with a bevy of pass catchers available at tight end and wide receiver.
This is because the wideout Ricky Pearsall He will miss his second consecutive game due to a right knee injury. john jennings This is considered more of a game-time decision as he practiced on a limited basis Thursday and Friday with rib and ankle injuries.
Aside from Pearsall and possibly Jennings, the 49ers are still without a tight end george kittel (hamstring) and receiver brandon ayuk (knee) and Jordan Watkins (calf).
This leads to the Niners once again turning to a group that includes receivers kendrick bourne And demarcus robinson and tight ends Jake Tonges And Luke Farrell To fill the void.
Against the Rams, it was Bourne who emerged as Jones’ top target as he posted a career-high 142 yards on 10 receptions.
“He’s getting better every week,” offensive coordinator Clay Kubiak said. “He’s a gamer. You can see a guy who is still learning to understand our offense schematically, but he gets better every week. It’s a joy to be around him because he’s in everything. He has a great vision. He works at it. I think he’s a guy, the more he’s out there, the more he’ll help us. And he’s very excited about what he’s done, we hope he continues to do that.”
Elsewhere on the injury report, rookie defensive tackle alfred collins He is listed as questionable due to a knee injury he suffered against the Rams. Collins did not practice on Wednesday but was involved on Thursday and Friday. cornerback upton stoutSecurity Malik Mustafa and defensive tackle Kalia Davis are also suspicious.
defensive tackle Kevin Givens (pectoral) and lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (Hamstring) has also been ruled out.
