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Kyle Shanahan won’t commit to Ahkello Witherspoon starting vs. Chiefs
Sep 17, 2018 at 4:39 PM
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San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon missed 12 of the defense's final 15 snaps against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Quarterback
Matthew Stafford attacked Witherspoon's side of the field late in the game, and the second-year player struggled while falling victim to missed tackles and penalties.
Witherspoon was limited with an ankle injury in practices during the week leading up to the game. Defensive back Jimmie Ward replaced the second-year cornerback in the fourth quarter.
Will Witherspoon start on Sunday when the 49ers visit the 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium?
"We'll see how this week goes," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday. "I mean, he was in and out towards the end of the game. I don't know exactly how he's feeling yet. We'll see on Wednesday, but we'll see how practice goes this week for him."
Shanahan's response seemed to indicate that whether or not Witherspoon starts is based on his health. Was being pulled on Sunday also related to the injury?
"No," Shanahan answered. "We felt other people at that time gave us the best chance. That was crunch time. They're going against a real good offense there. Stafford's got a great chance to get them back in the game with how good he is. Just watching the game right there, we felt getting Jimmie in helped us."
Veteran cornerback Richard Sherman said after the game that Witherspoon will need to have a short memory and move forward.
"You have 24 hours, win, lose or draw," Sherman said. "Regardless of the outcome or how you play, you have 24 hours. You look at the tape, you correct your mistakes and you move on. That is what you do regardless. If he played and had five picks, I would tell him the same.
"It doesn't matter how good you played or how bad you played one week. This is the NFL. The next week is a whole new beast. You are facing a whole new team, whole new scheme. If you caught five picks, they are going to test you again. If you got five balls caught on you, they are going to test you again, regardless.
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