NFL
Why isn't Nick Bosa playing for the 49ers against the Bills in week 13? When will he be back?
Quarterback Brock Purdy returns for the Niners in Buffalo, but defensive end Bosa, along with Trent Williams, remains unavailable.
The San Francisco 49ers visit the Buffalo Bills in week 13 (Sunday, December 1, 8:20 p.m. ET) desperately hoping to give their hopes of reaching the 2024 NFL playoffs a boost. Their chances of winning at Highmark Stadium should be helped by Brock Purdy’s return from injury, although they will still be without Nick Bosa.
The Niners go into Sunday’s game still seething after a heavy 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers, which head coach Kyle Shanahan described as “embarrassing”.
49ers injury report vs Bills: Bosa, Williams...
Quarterback Purdy and defensive linesman Bosa were both absent from that thrashing, although the former is now set to make his comeback from a shoulder injury in Buffalo. The latter, however, remains unavailable, as are left tackle Trent Williams (left ankle), cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (knee), guard Aaron Banks (concussion), defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (concussion) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles).
Four-time Pro Bowl Bosa, the second overall pick in the 2019 draft, will miss a second consecutive game because of left hip and oblique issues, while Williams’ ankle issues also caused him to miss the defeat to the Packers.
When will Nick Bosa be back playing for the Niners?
“We understand kind of what’s wrong with them, it’s just kind of how it heals,” Shanahan said. “And the guys, Trent especially, hasn’t been healing the way we hoped. Hopefully they’ve got a better chance next week. But they ended up never getting back into practice this week, so ended up not being that close.”
Everything points to Bosa starting the week as questionable for the week 14 game against the Chicago Bears (Sunday, December 8), with a decision on his participation likely to be made nearer kickoff.
Will the 49ers reach the NFL playoffs?
The Niners lost to the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LVIII but have serious work to do to even reach the playoffs this season. Their 5-6 record means they will need a run of victories in the last few weeks of the regular season to stand a chance of featuring in the postseason.
A trip to the Bills, one of the most in-form teams in the NFL, is not one they are likely to be relishing. Sean McDermott’s team have won six games in a row and are 9-2 for the season, the joint third-best record.
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