Quarterback Brock Purdy threw without pain Monday and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan will wait until midweek to evaluate the progress of edge rusher Nick Bosa and left tackle Trent Williams as the team determines whether they’ll play next weekend in Buffalo.
It remains to be seen who will and won’t be available when the 49ers embark on a cross-country trip to face the AFC East-leading Bills, currently 9-2 and the No, 2 seed in the conference.
The 49ers are expected to get a practice lift with the activation of linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who will begin his 21-day window off injured reserve after offseason Achilles surgery after being injured in the Super Bowl.
Cornerback Charvarius Ward, who worked with the scout team last week as he works through his grief following the loss of his 23-month-old daughter, may also begin getting work again with the first team.
Are things actually looking up for the 49ers?
One thing for sure is that the 49ers are looking up at everybody else in the AFC West but are still only a game out of first place with Seattle and Arizona at 6-5 and the 49ers and Rams at 5-6. It’s clear to Shanahan that any pathway to the playoffs would be as a division title rather than as a wild card, where Washington holds the final spot at 7-5.
“You look at the whole NFC picture and if you don’t win the division, 10-7 is not guaranteed to get in as a wild card by any means this year,” Shanahan told reporters during his weekly conference call. “That is why the Seattle game was so tough, and that’s why last night was even worse.
“We know exactly what the playoff situation is, but really all that matters is this week when you do need to go on a run and put a lot of wins to even think of that, then you’d better be thinking of only one thing – and that’s Buffalo.”
Should Purdy be unable to go, Shanahan said Brandon Allen would get a second start at quarterback after he played Sunday in Green Bay.
SNAP JUDGEMENTS
72: Safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha and middle linebacker Fred Warner played every defensive snap.
49: When Allen at quarterback and Jaylon Moore at left tackle play every snap (along with Colton McKivitz, Dominick Puni and Jake Brendel) then you know there’s a problem with injuries. And Allen and Moore were the least of their problems.
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44: Leonard Floyd played 61 percent — about his usual number — even without Nick Bosa in the lineup. With 3 1/2 sacks in his last two games, he’s a half-sack behind Bosa for the team lead.
33: Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall Jr. played 67 percent of the snaps — the same as Deebo Samuel — and did not have a pass thrown his way.
21: Robert Beal Jr. played a season-high number of snaps in Bosa’s absence at defensive end and did not appear on the stat sheet for having a tackle or an assist.
9: Running back Jordan Mason has played 14 snaps in three games since McCaffrey’s return and has six carries for 26 yards.
4: Tashaun Gipson was promoted to the 53-man roster but still hasn’t played on defense in three games at safety. He had four special teams snaps against Green Bay.
More to come on this breaking story . . .