The San Francisco 49ers knew they'd likely have to deal with some unwelcome developments due to COVID-19 at some point this season, and that point came earlier this week when it was revealed wide receiver Kendrick Bourne had tested positive for the virus, while offensive tackle Trent Williams, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel were also being placed on the NFL's Reserve/COVID-19 list due to being close contacts.
The timing of that news wasn't good, considering the 49ers were dealing with an injury-riddled roster and a short week heading into their Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers. But the team was able to adapt to the situation, overcome some uncertainty, and finish its game against the Packers as scheduled.
"I feel like everybody did what they had to do," defensive tackle D.J. Jones said after the 49ers fell 34-17 to the Packers Thursday night. "It hit everybody out of nowhere, but we all adjusted on the fly."
For head coach Kyle Shanahan, it meant taking a step back to the spring and summer when he was working from home. Team meetings were conducted over Zoom, while adjustments were made to the game plan to compensate for the loss of Bourne, Williams, and Aiyuk (Samuel was already slated to miss the game due to injury).
"I think I got told Wednesday morning," Shanahan said. "Then we got in and then we focused on clearing out the building because we had to shut everyone down when we found out about KB. I went home and it was right back to quarantine. I was there with my family, still homeschooling. It seemed like I went back in time three months ago and did everything from there.
"We didn't find out about Aiyuk and Trent until after those meetings and stuff," Shanahan continued. "We were allowed to come back here last night and walk through the red zone, some of the openers and stuff. We just had to do a little shuffling. There's not enough time to change everything. It's the night before the game, and guys weren't practicing anyway because of the short week. We just got the receivers, reshuffled them, and walked through a lot last night. I think Wes (wide receivers coach Wes Welker) grabbed a couple of them and walked through today before the game."
One other high profile player to have had a run-in with COVID-19 this season is linebacker Fred Warner, who spent nine days on the Reserve/COVID-19 list in September. Warner hasn't had the opportunity to speak with Bourne, Aiyuk, Samuel, and Williams in recent days, but he had a message for each of them following the loss to the Packers.
"I know it's tough to be away from the team," Warner said. "You feel like you're letting everybody down. Some of it's out of your control. I don't know the details behind it, but they've just got to know we're still family and those are my brothers. As soon as they're back they'll be able to help us as a team. But the biggest thing is making sure that they're healthy because it is a big deal."
This week might not be the last time the 49ers have to deal with an unexpected COVID-related development, but they, like the rest of the league, are prepared to do what they need to do to adjust. In the meantime, they'll take a look at the situation at hand and ask themselves what they can do better.
"I think there's always more," Shanahan said. "That's what we've got to look into and figure out how much more that we can do. It kind of is what it is, too -- it's not just NFL, it's the planet right now. You see it going all over the country and everything. I love that we're trying to play these games and get through them. I think our guys when they have gotten it, hopefully they're going to be able to get through it and their health will be alright and not affected going forward. We haven't had it hit us really yet.
"Other teams have had to deal with that. I knew at some time we would have to deal with it. I was hoping it wouldn't be on a short week with the injuries we had prior, so that just made it a bigger challenge. That's the challenges other people are going through, and it's challenges other people are going to have going forward. It's not getting better right now, so that's why everyone has to be on it with every single protocol that there is. I feel that we've been doing it the best we can, but we'll look into everything and see how we can continue to get better because there's still a number of games left in this year. I know our team and I know the whole NFL plans on finishing those. I also plan on us playing better too, so that all goes in hand."
