The San Francisco 49ers will take on the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday. Both teams hit the practice field on Wednesday and, fortunately, both teams are relatively healthy heading into this one. We'll take a look at both reports below, but we'll start with the 49ers:
For San Francisco, the biggest injury continues to be cornerback Carlos Rogers. He's dealing with a hamstring strain that he sustained in Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals. He did not participate in practice at all in the lead-up to San Francisco's game against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round, and was inactive for that game.
Perrish Cox saw significant playing time in Rogers' absence against Green Bay, and seemed to play OK. Still, Rogers is one of San Francisco's top corners and while he's not mistake-free, the team would like him back in the lineup. He was not at practice on Wednesday, however.
Both Jonathan Goodwin and Justin Smith did not practice, but that can easily be labeled as veteran's rest at this point. Goodwin is basically 100 percent, while Smith has had a sore shoulder for much of the season, so that's what he's officially listed with Wednesday. Demarcus Dobbs also missed Wednesday's practice. He left the Wild Card game with a knee injury.
As far as the Panthers are concerned, they are relatively healthy. They're healthier then the 49ers at the very least. The big news is wide receiver Steve Smith. He took part in a limited practice, which is significant given that he's been dealing with a knee injury. Carolina hasn't officially practiced for some time, so the status of Smith and his injury was up in the air.
Smith is a tough player and likely would play through any injury that doesn't involve him being unable to walk. He especially wouldn't miss a playoff game, but it's still worth noting that he was practicing as early as Wednesday. Keep a close eye on whether or not there are any setbacks throughout the week, however.
Running back Jonathan Stewart was a full participant in practice, which is big. Stewart sprained his MCL earlier in the season and is making a very quick turnaround to be practicing again so soon. Many though he'd miss this game against the 49ers, but with a full practice on Wednesday, it's likely Stewart plays and receives his fair share of carries barring any setbacks.
Here's the full injury report for both teams below:
49ers
Did Not Participate
DT Demarcus Dobbs (knee, shoulder)
C Jonathan Goodwin (not injury related)
CB Carlos Rogers (hamstring)
DT Justin Smith (shoulder)
Full Participation
LB Navorro Bowman (wrist)
WR Michael Crabtree (wrist)
RB Frank Gore (knee)
LB Dan Skuta (foot)
Panthers
Limited Participation
DT Colin Cole (calf)
WR Steve Smith (knee)
Full Participation
TE Ben Hartsock (knee)
S Quintin Mikell (thumb)
RB Jonathan Stewart (knee)
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