The San Francisco 49ers used the bye week to recover from what has been an injury-plagued season. In addition to some season-ending injuries at critical positions, a development that derailed the team's 2018 campaign, a number of lingering injuries have plagued the 49ers.
Second-year running back Matt Breida hasn't been immune to having his name frequently appear on weekly injury reports. Most recently, he has been dealing with an ankle injury to go along with the knee and shoulder issues he has worked through this season. Despite the setbacks, Breida is on pace to be the first 49ers running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season since Frank Gore did so in 2014.
"I think the exciting thing about Matt, he's been compromised by an ankle that has really been an issue most of the year," Lynch recently told NBC Sports Bay Area, "so I'm excited to see this bye week hopefully allow him to heal a little bit."
Breida, who joined the 49ers last year as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern, used the bye week to make sure he is healthy for the team's road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and then the five-game stretch that follows to end the season.
"Treatment, treatment, treatment every day," Breida told Cam Inman of Bay Area News Group this week. "I didn't get away to do much. Just tried to rest up and heal my body."
Breida hasn't missed a game this season despite the injuries. He has carried the football 113 times for 632 yards with three touchdowns while adding 15 receptions for 124 yards with two more scores.
While Breida's total rushing yards are tied for 11th in the NFL (Christian McCaffrey of the Carolina Panthers also has 632 yards), his average of 5.6 yards per carry ranks fourth among running backs with 60-or-more carries and first among those with 100-or-more carries. Breida's 20 runs of 10-or-more yards rank No. 8 in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
A healthier Breida hopes to have a strong finish during the 49ers' home stretch and help carry the team to a few more victories.
"(The bye) definitely helped a lot," he said. "I still don't feel 100 percent, but each day I'm getting better."
Running back Jerick McKinnon suffering a torn ACL on September 1 thrust Breida into a more prominent role this season. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was lost for the season 22 days later with the same injury. While both had to slow down physically, that hasn't been the case mentally.
Garoppolo was even seen on Wednesday observing practice for the first time since his injury, and he was doing so without the aid of crutches.
"I was hanging with Jimmy and Jet (during treatment)," Breida shared. "They've been here. They've been incredibly upbeat. Most guys would be in the tank not being able to play during the season. Those guys are going to meetings all the time. They're very involved in whatever the team does. It's crazy how upbeat those guys are."
