The San Francisco 49ers still are uncertain about the status of running back Matt Breida for Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers, according to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero. Breida is pushing to play in spite of an ankle injury that cost him two days of practice this week, but it is a game-time decision.
The team will announce inactives at approximately 3:45 p.m. PT. However, they have a decision to make three hours earlier. Teams playing on Monday have until 1 p.m. PT that day to promote a player from the practice squad. Teams playing on Sunday have to decide by 1 p.m. on Saturday because the league does not allow Sunday transactions. However, because Monday is a normal day of business, MNF teams get the benefit of waiting until game day.
The 49ers will decide by then whether or not they want to promote running backs Jeff Wilson or Matt Dayes from the practice squad. The decision will likely come down to the last minute because it depends on other positional needs. The 49ers will be without wide receiver Dante Pettis, and their questionable list includes Breida, WR Pierre Garçon, TE George Kittle, OG Mike Person, C Weston Richburg, OT Joe Staley, and nickel back K’Waun Williams.
Odds are pretty good that whole group is playing, but if the 49ers are short-handed at one of those positions, they might decide they can’t afford to waive another player to make room for Wilson or Dayes.
Pre-game warmups will be critical for the 49ers to figure out Breida’s status, as well as that of the rest of the questionable players. I suspect the team will be going through whatever they can at the hotel beforehand, but it would make sense to get the injured players out to Lambeau Field a little earlier than normal to put them through their paces. And it is still possible even if they promote Wilson or Dayes that they decide Breida can be active. My guess is a promotion precludes it, but we’ll find out later this afternoon.