INDIANAPOLIS – Linebacker NaVorro Bowman and running back Carlos Hyde did not appear pleased to be spectators for a good portion of Sunday’s game.
Bowman was used as part of a rotation at inside linebacker, in which Brock Coyle took over for him at different points of the 49ers’ 26-23 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
And Hyde said his hip felt better than it has for a couple of weeks and the reason Matt Breida was on the field for long stretches of time was a “coaches’ decision.”
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Breida gained 49 yards on 10 rushing attempts and also caught three passes for 22 yards. Hyde gained just 11 yards on eight rushing attempts and caught one pass for 7 yards.
Bowman sustained a mild “stinger” in the first half, but he said he knew he was not going to play the entire game.
“Um. I don’t know, man,” Bowman said. “We had a conversation. I don’t know. They’re doing what they want to do, and . . . I don’t know. I don’t like it. Nobody likes coming out of the game, but I’m a team player.
“They told me. But it’s hard to do that in the midst of a tough game. No player likes being taken out.”
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Bowman led the 49ers with 10 tackles. Ray-Ray Armstrong, who started alongside Bowman at linebacker, recorded six tackles and intercepted a pass in overtime. Coyle was credited with two tackles and a half-sack.
