Head coach Kyle Shanahan met with reporters on Wednesday as the San Francisco 49ers turned the page from their 42\u201338 “Sunday Night Football” victory over the Chicago Bears to the regular-season finale against the Seattle Seahawks. Coming off a record-setting, back-and-forth win and facing another short week, Shanahan addressed injury updates, roster confidence, and the team’s mindset heading into a high-stakes Week 18 matchup.<\/p>\n
Here are the top takeaways from Shanahan following Sunday’s win:<\/p>\n
\n Injury Report<\/p>\n
Shanahan opened with a cautious injury update as the team balances recovery with preparation following the Sunday night win.<\/p>\n
Defensive lineman Keion White<\/a> (groin), tackle Trent Williams<\/a> (hamstring), fullback Kyle Juszczyk<\/a> (hip), and running back Christian McCaffrey<\/a> (back) did not practice on Wednesday. Shanahan emphasized McCaffrey’s absence was precautionary, describing the issue as stiffness rather than a new injury.<\/p>\n “It’s just stiff,” Shanahan said. “It was sore from Sunday night, so that’s why we’ve got him on here today.”<\/p>\n Several players were limited, including cornerback Upton Stout<\/a> (concussion protocol), tight end George Kittle<\/a> (ankle), wide receiver Ricky Pearsall<\/a> (knee\/ankle), and defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos<\/a> (knee). Shanahan confirmed cornerback Renardo Green<\/a> is fully healthy and listed as a full participant.<\/p>\n With another short week, Shanahan cautioned against overinterpreting Wednesday’s practice participation.<\/p>\n “We’re barely moving today,” he said. “It’s a walkthrough with the short week that we’ve got.”<\/p>\n \n Confidence in Pleasants<\/p>\n With Williams sidelined, Shanahan expressed confidence in offensive lineman Austen Pleasants<\/a>, who stepped in during Sunday night’s win and helped stabilize the offensive line during a game that had multiple momentum swings.<\/p>\n “Played good enough for us to win,” Shanahan said. “Real good in the run and pass game. He did a solid job.”<\/p>\n After reviewing the film, Shanahan highlighted that Pleasants’ reliable performance, especially in primetime, spoke for itself.<\/p>\n “That’s usually how it is for an O-Lineman. If you don’t say their name much in a game, usually it’s alright,” Shanahan said. “And when you matched it up with the tape, I thought he did a real good job\u2026 He really held his own.”<\/p>\n He also credited Pleasants’ weekly Wednesday first-team reps while Williams takes his regular Vet Day, noting those opportunities have been crucial in preparing him for moments like Sunday night.<\/p>\n “That’s why he was ready for that moment,” Shanahan said. “And I think he’ll be even more ready this week.”<\/p>\n \n McCaffrey Sets the Standard<\/p>\n Coming off a historic night in which running back Christian McCaffrey<\/a> set the franchise record for receptions by a running back, Shanahan acknowledged the toll December football can take, while also sharing that elite players typically elevate as the season goes on.<\/p>\n “Christian’s pretty good every time I feel like he’s in our uniform,” Shanahan said. “But good ones only get better as the year goes.”<\/p>\n Against the Bears, McCaffrey finished with 181 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, remaining the league leader with 2,069 scrimmage yards as the postseason approaches.<\/p>\n \n Purdy Fuels Late-Season Momentum<\/p>\n Shanahan praised quarterback Brock Purdy<\/a>‘s composure, highlighting his response after an early mistake as a true estimate to his demeanor.<\/p>\n “I just want him to keep being him,” Shanahan said. “Not hesitating on stuff. When he sees it, let it rip. I loved how he’s been playing.”<\/p>\n Purdy threw for over 300 yards and led the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter with a 38-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jauan Jennings<\/a>.<\/p>\n “He didn’t change at all,” Shanahan said. “Personality-wise, demeanor-wise\u2026 When he’s confident and he sees it he lets it rip. If he doesn’t, he gets rid of it, usually to a check down or he finds a way to make a play. So, keep being him and keep being aggressive.”<\/p>\n \n Defensive Depth Continuing<\/p>\n Shanahan highlighted the impact of improved depth along the defensive line, particularly with Gross-Matos back in the rotation as the season winds down.<\/p>\n “Just having nine guys, we can rotate better,” Shanahan said. “Having Ye out there, his talent, the way he plays, the numbers, it helps a lot.”<\/p>\n Shanahan also praised rookie defensive lineman Alfred Collins<\/a>, highlighting his persistence after missing OTAs while working back from injury. Collins’ ability to stay available throughout the season has been a key part of his development.<\/p>\n “He battled through that and got his stamina back up and was able to avoid an injury doing it. And to me that’s what prepared him for the season and that’s why he’s been able to get through 17 weeks. I’ve been really happy with Alf so far,” Shanahan said.<\/p>\n \n Week 1 Rematch for the Divisional Crown<\/p>\n Looking ahead, Shanahan said the team will revisit the Week 1 matchup against Seattle while accounting for subtle changes as both teams prepare to close the regular season.<\/p>\n “You always look at it,” Shanahan said. “But our teams are pretty similar from the beginning of the year to now.”<\/p>\n Shanahan discussed the challenge of defending Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, praising his awareness within coverage.<\/p>\n “He almost plays in slow motion,” Shanahan said, “But he’s one of the fastest guys out there.”<\/p>\n All In on the Regular-Season Finale<\/p>\n Despite already clinching a playoff spot, Shanahan made it clear there is no balancing act with postseason positioning at stake.<\/p>\n “You don’t,” Shanahan said when asked about managing effort. “Every single game, you empty the tank.”<\/p>\n The 49ers now turn their focus to Saturday night’s regular-season finale against the Seahawks at Levi’s\u00ae Stadium, with the NFC West title and the conference’s No. 1 seed on the line.<\/p>\n “Everyone’s goal is to win a Super Bowl and in order to do that I would say it’s easier to win three games than four games. You’d always rather play at home, no doubt about it\u2026 That’s our goal. If that doesn’t work out, we’re excited to go on the road too.”<\/p>\n \n Week 18 at Levi’s\u00ae Stadium<\/p>\n Up next, the 49ers turn their focus to a primetime regular-season finale against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s\u00ae Stadium. The team will have a condensed Week 18 schedule with practices held Tuesday through Thursday, a walkthrough on Friday, and kickoff on Saturday night. Get your tickets to Week 18 Seahawks vs. 49ers here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Head coach Kyle Shanahan met with reporters on Wednesday as the San Francisco 49ers turned the page from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":643826,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2070],"tags":[31638,374,50158,355,2644,692,391,2493,4124,353,354,7,2812,352,88,6,93264],"class_list":{"0":"post-643825","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bears","8":"tag-austen-pleasants","9":"tag-bears","10":"tag-briana-jeannel","11":"tag-briana-mcdonald","12":"tag-brock-purdy","13":"tag-chicago","14":"tag-chicago-bears","15":"tag-chicagobears","16":"tag-christian-mccaffrey","17":"tag-english","18":"tag-english-articles","19":"tag-football","20":"tag-kyle-shanahan","21":"tag-latest-app","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-nfl","24":"tag-seattle-seahawks-at-san-francisco-49ers-2025-reg-18"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115816032054403769","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=643825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/643826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=643825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=643825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}