The San Francisco 49ers have three days to prepare for their next opponent. For players, that work will begin on Tuesday. They have Monday off. It will be a quick turnaround for head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad, which will host the New York Giants on Thursday night at Levi's Stadium.
On Sunday, Brandon Aiyuk was in and out of the lineup against the Los Angeles Rams. The wide receiver suffered a shoulder injury. For now, Shanahan doesn't sound too concerned. Of course, the head coach is awaiting more information on his star player.
Shanahan spoke with reporters on Monday morning, likely getting his typical day-after-a-game conference call out of the way earlier than usual so he can return to preparing a game plan for the Giants. The coach was asked about Aiyuk's injury and when it occurred against the Rams.
"Yeah, it happened on his first catch when he landed on his shoulder," Shanahan told reporters. "I believe it was his first catch."
That was a 13-yard reception during the Niners' opening drive. Aiyuk finished the game, a 30-23 49ers win, with three catches for 43 yards on six targets. Because of the early conference call time, the coach didn't have an update on his receiver's status just yet.
"It's too early to have all the answers for the injuries yet," Shanahan said. "So it's the same as last night with [CB] Ambry Thomas with a knee, [Aiyuk] with his shoulder, and [CB Deommodore Lenoir] cleared his evaluation yesterday for a concussion. He still has to be evaluated today."
After Sunday's game, Shanahan didn't sound too concerned about Aiyuk's status after being asked if the team feared the injury to be serious.
"I wouldn't think so," Shanahan responded. "I mean, I know he was hurting a little bit, but he was able to play through it, so I think I'll be all right."
With the next game just three days away, Aiyuk's status might be the most concerning, assuming nothing new pops up as the 49ers examine players this week.
Aiyuk was on the field for 30 snaps against the Rams, the second-most of the team's receiver group. Deebo Samuel played 51 of the offense's 57 total snaps, while Jauan Jennings and Ronnie Bell had 27 each. Ray-Ray McCloud played four snaps.
