San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Arik Armstead has not played in a game since December 3 due to lingering foot and knee injuries. However, he seems on track to return to the football field this weekend against the Green Bay Packers.
When asked about the significance of Armstead's return, linebacker Fred Warner recently stated, "Arik's been a huge piece of what we do for a really long time here, especially in the run game, and this was, I think, his best year playing the run and the pass on the interior as he's played his entire career here. So it'd be a huge get for us."
Last week, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that Armstead could have played in the 49ers' regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams. However, there was little point in pushing the defensive lineman to suit up as San Francisco had already secured the top seed in the NFC.
That gave Armstead an extra two weeks to recover, thanks to the 49ers owning a first-round bye in the playoffs. The defender benefited from the rest and feels ready to rejoin his teammates.
"Yeah, I'm feeling great, so I'm excited to get back out there on the field," Armstead told reporters on Wednesday.
Regarding his recovery progress, Armstead added, "Just trying to get back during the regular season, and fortunate enough, we got the number one seed, so I got a little more time to rest and heal up, and I'm feeling good and excited to get back out there on the field with my brothers."
Armstead didn't want to discuss that Week 18 contest and whether he would have been comfortable playing had the 49ers needed him in the lineup. As a follow-up question, he was asked if now, two weeks later, he is in a better position than he would have been back then.
"Yeah, 100 percent. Two weeks of healing," he responded.
The 49ers are excited to kick off their Super Bowl run on Saturday after being ousted from the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. A win against the Packers would secure their third consecutive trip to the NFC Championship Game, one step away from Super Bowl 58.
The 49ers boast a lot of veteran experience and believe that will be beneficial in the coming weeks. In February, they hope to cap off this run by hoisting the Lombardi in Las Vegas.
"Everything is on the line. Win or go home," Armstead declared. "And we've been in this situation before, and we know how to get it done."