SANTA CLARA — Rookie Isaac Guerendo appeared confident Sunday night he’d be good to go for the 49ers on a short turnaround for a key NFC West battle against the Los Angeles Rams.
That may have been the adrenaline talking, however, as Guerendo’s is a tossup to be ready to go when the 49ers (6-7) host the Rams (7-6) Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium.
The good news is that quarterback Brock Purdy, who departed briefly in the third quarter after a roughing the passer call against the Bears and acknowledged the awkwardness of the hit, reported for work with no issues.
Guerendo departed with a foot injury in the fourth quarter of a 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears, rushing for 78 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns and catching two passes for 50 additional yards.
“He’s got an ankle sprain, and he definitely couldn’t go today and we’ll see if he can go on Thursday,” coach Kyle Shanahan said in his weekly conference call. “We’ll evaluate him hard. I’ll be surprised if he does much tomorrow. Hopefully Thursday will be enough time for him.”
With Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason on injured reserve, Guerendo made his first NFL start against the Bears. If he can’t play, the next in line is Patrick Taylor Jr., a veteran in his fourth season who had 25 yards in seven carries against the Bears and a 3-yard touchdown run.
Options beyond Taylor are Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who was promoted from the practice squad and carried twice for four yards against the Bears, and Israel Abanikanda, who was claimed off waivers last week from the New York Jets.
After the Bears game, Guerendo had no trouble getting on his shoes and socks before talking to reporters and was not in a protective boot. He said his removal from the game was “precautionary” due to the short turnaround for the Rams game.
Taylor, speaking of the week of practice without McCaffrey and Mason, felt he and Guerendo were up to the challenge of playing the Bears.
“We prepare a certain way throughout the week and always have the mentality that you’re going to play,” Taylor said. “You’re prepared when your number is called.”
Which is what Taylor said he would do should Guerendo be sidelined and move him into the position of lead runner.
“I’ll have that same mentality, making sure I’ve got the mindset of when my opportunity is called I’ll be ready to go,” Taylor said.
Said Shanahan: “If Isaac can’t go, it’ll be his opportunity. And I think as you guys saw him run yesterday or as we did earlier in the year versus Seattle, he’s a solid, good back.”
Purdy, Shanahan said, appears fine after taking a clothesline shot from Chicago’s Darrell Taylor. Purdy departed with 11:06 remaining, but returned to the cheering of the crown a minute later.
“No problem at all. He talked that way, play after it he seemed fine, but you never know until the next day,” Shanahan said. “But trainers talking to him and stuff, he felt good and no lingering issues from that play.”
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw sits with 49ers general manager John Lynch on the bench during a 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears at Levi’s Stadium. Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group
WHAT ABOUT WILLIAMS, BOSA, GREENLAW?
Shanahan was playing most injury issues close to the vest while on a short clock before the Rams.
Both edge rusher Nick Bosa (hips, obliques) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) will be evaluated on a daily basis after missing the Bears game. The 49ers will consider elevating linebacker Dre Greenlaw and playing him against the Rams but have not committed to it.
The bad news is that left guard Ben Bartch, who left after five snaps with an injury, was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain and will be placed on injured reserve, likely ending his season. The injury was mitigated somewhat with the news that Aaron Banks has cleared concussion protocol after after missing two games and should return to the lineup.
Players termed “day to day” by Shanahan included linebacker Dee Winters (ankle), safety Malik Mustapha (chest, shoulder) and linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (knee).
BY THE NUMBERS
242: The passing yardage needed by Purdy (233 for 349, 3,032 yards, 15 touchdowns, eight interceptions) over the last four games to become the first 49ers quarterback in franchise history to pass for 4,000-plus yards in back to back seasons.
50.0: The receiving yardage needed per game by tight end George Kittle (56 receptions, 800 yards, eight touchdowns) to reach 1,000 yards for the fourth time in his career.
56.1: The receiving yardage needed per game by wide receiver Jauan Jennings (57 receptions, 774 yards, six touchdowns) to reach 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.
4: The number of touchdowns for Guerendo, which is twice the number of Deebo Samuel (two) and Christian McCaffrey (zero) combined.
1.5: The number of sacks needed by Leonard Floyd (8.5 sacks) to reach 10 in a season for the third time in his career. His career high is 10.5 in 2023 with Buffalo and 2020 with the L.A. Rams.
SNAP JUDGEMENTS
61: With rare one-sided win, only two 49ers played every snap of offense or defense. Right guard Dominic Puni and left tackle Jaylon Moore each had 100 percent playing time.
52: Kittle had six receptions for 151 yards, his highest yardage total since catching 13 passes for 151 yards against Cincinnati on Dec. 12, 2021.
“I thought I was sitting on 80 (yards) when I came out in the fourth quarter,” Kittle said. “That was a nice surprise at the end.”
51: Subbing for the injured Ben Bartch, third-year guard Spencer Burford got his most work of the season. His previous high was 16 snaps.
46: Nickel corner Deommodore Lenoir and middle linebacker Fred Warner each played 87 percent of the 53 defensive snaps.
39: Talanoa Hufanga, playing with a protective club on his hand after wrist surgery, went right back into the lineup at safety alongside Malik Mustapha after not playing since Week 3. He finished with five tackles.
“It was a real good first game for him,” Shanahan said.
28: Edge rusher Leonard Floyd barely played half the snaps and was fresh because of it, recording two sacks to give him 8 1/2 and passing Nick Bosa for the team lead.
27: Linebacker Dee Winters showed explosive wide range ability and may see his role reduced with Dre Greenlaw possibly being active Thursday night for the first time since Super Bowl LVIII.
15: Safety Ji’Ayir Brown, after having missed only two defensive snaps all season in Week 5 against Arizona, took a back seat as Hufanga returned to duty. He was off the field for 38 snaps.
“I think Malik’s been one of our better players on defense over the last month or so,” Shanahan said. “Nothing against Tig (Brown). We still want Tig to be out there, but when we had to make a decision, we kept Mustapha out there.”
4: Brandon Allen, who served as the No 3 quarterback in Buffalo because of the weather was reinstalled over Joshua Dobbs as the backup. He played four snaps and threw an interception on his lone attempt and the 49ers’ lasts play from scrimmage.
3: Added to the 53-man roster Saturday, guard Sebastian Gutierrez got the first snaps of his NFL career with the game in hand.
