San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain during the team's Week 14 win over the New Orleans. For most players, that means at least a few weeks of being sidelined.
Sherman is not most players.
The veteran cornerback missed Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons but plans to be back on the field on Saturday against the Rams, just short of two weeks from when the injury occurred.
"I'll be out there on Saturday," Sherman told reporters after Wednesday's practice. "There's no question. There's nothing I need to show them. I've gone through practice. Today, we had a full-speed practice (the team had a walk-through on Tuesday). There were no tweaks, nothing to be concerned about on my end, so I feel comfortable about that. They feel comfortable about it."
The injury means that Sherman's hamstring is partially torn, an injury that requires rest to heal. This won't be the first time the veteran defender has played through a similar injury.
"I just play through," Sherman explained. "At the end of the day, like I told myself, if you can walk, you can play. If I can walk, if I can get to full speed -- now, if I ever felt I was a detriment to the team or couldn't get to full speed or I couldn't function at a high level, then I'd sit my behind down because then I'm to helping anybody.
"I've always thought if I can play, if I can help the team, if I can get my foot in the ground, if I can move like I need to move, and I can be out there, then I'd be helping the team.
"A lot of it is mental. A lot of it is making sure you conquer your body mentally. I think sometimes when you're hurt or sick or down, mentally, if you're pessimistic about the outlook, then things won't go great, things won't heal, things won't get better for you. But if you're optimistic, if you believe that your body will get better, if you believe that you can play through it, if you believe you can move forward, then your body will make it happen."
The 49ers need these last two victories. The team hopes to win out and regain the top seed in the NFC playoff race. That will include traveling to CenturyLink Field to face Sherman's former team, the Seattle Seahawks, to close out the season. The game will likely determine the NFC West champion, so the stakes are high.
For Sherman, it is just another game.
"It makes no never mind for me," Sherman said when asked about the Week 17 showdown. "You've got to try to win every game regardless of the circumstances or who you're playing. That's the plan. We've got to go out there and win. We understood that coming in.
"Nothing's changed from Week 1 to Week 17. You've got to go out there and win games, whether you're home or on the road. That's what makes football fun, as a competitor."
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