{"id":666046,"date":"2026-01-10T12:05:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/666046\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T12:05:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:05:17","slug":"49ers-news-go-panthers-niners-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/666046\/","title":{"rendered":"49ers News: Go Panthers | Niners Nation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kyle Shanahan shares final updates ahead of 49ers-Eagles Wild Card matchup<\/a>
\u201cOn Wednesday you were less optimistic about Jacob Cowing playing, but after watching the last few days, any change of mind there?<\/p>\n

Does Ricky fall into the boat of a player who didn\u2019t practice this week who could have a chance to go on Sunday?<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Yep. Ricky\u2019s been doing this this year. Jake\u2019s just different. This was his first practice this year was this week. He didn\u2019t get any in training camp either.\u201d<\/p>\n

49ers\u2019 improved special teams reflect Brant Boyer and the man who helped save him (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cAnd that means they are also a reflection of Ted Boyer. He was a World War II veteran who was wounded at Iwo Jima and helped instill qualities such as toughness and discipline that now define Boyer.<\/p>\n

Brant Boyer has a strong relationship with his parents, but they divorced when he was young, a reason he had a difficult childhood filled with constant moves. At 13, it was agreed that he would live with his grandparents, who could provide stability on their mink ranch in Henefer, Utah (population 838), to a seventh-grader needing direction. Idleness wasn\u2019t a thing with Ted, a rancher who was also a heavy equipment operator and built and remodeled homes in his spare time.<\/p>\n

And Brant stayed busy when he wasn\u2019t playing sports or attending school. He baled hay, trained dogs and poured cement and worked a jackhammer on construction crews. There wasn\u2019t much sleeping in: He was routinely stirred awake at 6 a.m. by the sound of his grandpa\u2019s cowboy boots descending to his basement room. During those rare times when Brant lazed at home, perhaps sprawled on the couch after a workout, his grandmother might hurriedly hand him a vacuum if his grandpa was pulling in the driveway.<\/p>\n

His grandparents, devout Mormons, were also passionate about service. They regularly took mission trips to Albuquerque, N.M., where they developed a close connection with the Navajo people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what grounded me so much,\u201d Boyer said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be where I am without my grandparents. I learned how to work and how to, hopefully, be a good person. Thank God for those people.\u201d<\/p>\n

His grandparents provided an anchor, and Brant also provided a life-changing gift. Shortly after he came to live with them, Ted and Thea\u2019s youngest son, Chad, 27, died in a car accident when he was struck in an intersection.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrant was their world,\u201d said Boyer\u2019s wife, Melissa. \u201cObviously, nothing will ever get you over losing a child. But I think, during that time, they needed Brant as much as Brant needed them.\u201d\u2026..Boyer\u2019s ability to lead and connect is a big part of his coaching success. Special-teams coordinators are tasked with getting a disparate group to commit to a common goal. That includes rookies who were college stars along with past-their-prime veterans who aren\u2019t thrilled about running down on punts after running with the starters.<\/p>\n

Asked how Boyer gets buy-in, Neal discussed how his coach is a former player who can relate and empathize with the stress and pressure of their profession, building trust that allows him to coach players hard. Melissa discussed his genuine interest in their lives and dreams beyond football and the end-of-the-season dinner they host for players and their wives or girlfriends.<\/p>\n

Morstead, 39, a 17-year veteran, smiled when it was noted how many NFL coaches in a cutthroat business profess to care deeply about their players.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I think that\u2019s the whole point: He doesn\u2019t,\u201d Morstead said. \u201cI\u2019ve never heard him say, \u2018Man, I really care about you guys.\u2019 His actions show how much he cares about the guys in his room and wants the best for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, Boyer\u2019s players have played like a reflection of their coach, a reflection of the man who helped save him long ago.\u201c<\/p>\n

49ers vs. Eagles: The Standard\u2019s 5 fast predictions (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cKawakami: Eagles 24, 49ers 17. Do the 49ers have a path to victory on Sunday? Sure. They\u2019re a gutsy team that has proven it can dig out tough games. They\u2019ve got players who can lift everything. But given the mass accumulation of 49ers injuries, the Eagles just have too many good players and too many advantages to predict anything else.<\/p>\n

Lombardi: Eagles 27, 49ers 24. Back to Square One. I picked the Seahawks to narrowly beat the 49ers back in Week 1. Purdy\u2019s crew, much closer to full health back then, proved me wrong. And that wasn\u2019t the first time the 49ers defied the odds. No one will forget what happened in Week 5 at SoFi Stadium. Does this depleted squad have enough magic left to build a bridge to Fred Warner\u2019s return? I\u2019ll say no \u2014 and we\u2019ll see how the 49ers respond.\u201c<\/p>\n

49ers badly need Trent Williams vs. Eagles \u2014 both to open holes and to set the tone<\/a>
\u201cThe 49ers never practiced at full speed before the Seahawks game. Instead, Shanahan opted for half-speed sessions that were held later in the day than usual so players could get extra sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s (hard to say) where it showed up \u2014 maybe fatigue or whatever \u2014 but it showed up,\u201d Kubiak said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get to practice full speed for a couple weeks, which I think maybe does show up in some of your technique, your fundamentals, maybe some of your timing in the pass game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juszczyk said that the first practice of the week always elicits groaning from players, who wonder how they\u2019ll get through a grueling session. Midway through, however, they start to feel a lot better and realize that a tough practice was just what they needed. He said the team probably could have used a practice like that heading into the Seattle game.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, that\u2019s just hindsight being 20-20,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the time, we were like, \u2018We feel so beat up. We need this rest.\u2019 But now looking back, I wish that on Wednesday I would have pushed it a little harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

This week is different. The 49ers had an extra day to recover. And they had full-speed periods Wednesday with more on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the juice in here (Wednesday) was fantastic, high energy,\u201d tight end George Kittle said. \u201cI\u2019m feeling that from the guys, whether it\u2019s being excited from the playoffs or just having that extra day of not having to focus on a game plan or watch a ton of film. Just letting your mind ease before all of this builds up \u2014 I think it\u2019s really good for our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five 49ers to keep an eye on vs. Eagles in win-or-go-home playoff matchup<\/a>
\u201cThis could be a game that sets up well for Kittle to make catches in the middle of the field and turn in big yards after the catch.<\/p>\n

Kittle also figures to be a huge factor in the run game, as the 49ers will look to attack the Eagles on the edges with their zone-run scheme.<\/p>\n

The 49ers were not good in the regular season at getting around the corner, but Philadelphia\u2019s defense had issues dealing with those outside plays in the regular season.\u201c<\/p>\n

Brock Purdy aims for another successful return to Philadelphia in 49ers-Eagles<\/a>
\u201cThe 49ers\u2019 return trip to Philadelphia in the 2023 regular season served as a springboard for the No. 1 seed and, ultimately, a trip to the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

So, Purdy and the 49ers felt as if they had already put the devastating playoff loss behind them.<\/p>\n

But the subject resurfaces this week, as the 49ers get set to travel Friday for their first-round playoff showdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople out there, they seem to fixate on \u201922,\u201d Purdy said. \u201cThat must have had a more lasting impression on people, which, I mean, understandably, it\u2019s the NFC Championship versus a regular-season game.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think \u201923 just proved that we were able to bounce back and it\u2019s not an impossible task to go in there and win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where did 49ers\u2019 pass rush go? Former Eagle Bryce Huff explains going into game vs. his old team (paywall)<\/a>
\u201cEspecially since Nick went down, when Mykel (Williams) went down, I\u2019ve definitely been getting a lot of chips, double teams for sure,\u201d Huff told the Chronicle on Dec. 26. \u201cBut like I said before, that\u2019s out of my control. If I were to sit around and just mope about not having enough sacks, I would just be hindering myself from helping the team. I got to put the team before myself and before my stats.\u201d<\/p>\n

49ers\u2019 Trent Williams expects to start Sunday, but can he finish as he\u2019s pushing the limits?(paywall)<\/a>
\u201cIt\u2019s always going to be a little bit \u2014 a little bit of a concern,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI mean, obviously I\u2019m kind of pushing the limits on the time that\u2019s required for it. So it will probably be in the back of my mind for a little bit. But once you get out there and the juices get flowing and adrenaline, I don\u2019t think it should be a big problem.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kyle Shanahan shares final updates ahead of 49ers-Eagles Wild Card matchup\u201cOn Wednesday you were less optimistic about Jacob…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":666047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2080],"tags":[220,52307,7,6,1161,252,1137,2624,2623],"class_list":{"0":"post-666046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco-49ers","8":"tag-49ers","9":"tag-49ers-links","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-san-francisco","13":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","14":"tag-san-francisco-49ers-news","15":"tag-sanfrancisco","16":"tag-sanfrancisco49ers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115870717707446483","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666046","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=666046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}