In this week’s episode of “49ers Talk,” insider Matt Maiocco explains why the 49ers are in a good position to emerge as one of three NFC wild-card teams for the NFL playoffs.
The bye week has brought good news for the 49ers, as the team will welcome back two faces ahead of their matchup ahead of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers on “Sunday Night Football” at Levi’s Stadium.
Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair suffered an MCL injury against the Denver Broncos in Week 3.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
While the 49ers were expected to be without Al-Shaair for the foreseeable future, he shared that his recovery is ahead of schedule.
“Oh, for sure, because I think, initially, it was like six to eight [weeks],” Al-Shaair told reporters (h/t Grant Cohn of SI).
“But initially, they thought it would probably be eight, just because you’re usually conservative up front. And then you kind of just see where each person goes, and I was doing a lot better than they thought, so I was able to get back out there.”
Additionally, the 25-year-old expects to play against the Chargers on Sunday to improve the 49ers’ defense as they’ll look to shut down quarterback Justin Herbert.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Offensively, the 49ers will have another running back in the fold with Elijah Mitchell slated to return. The 24-year-old also suffered an MCL injury, though Mitchell’s occurred against the Chicago Bears in Week 1.
Mitchell told NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco on Nov. 1 that he expects to be available to play against the Chargers. The 49ers already have Christian McCaffrey and the team is about to give their opponents a dosage of Mitchell.
RELATED: NFL Week 9 winners, losers: 49ers, Seahawks emerging as NFC West favorites
As the 49ers attempt to get over the .500 mark, the additions of Al-Shaair and Mitchell will help the team get back into the race for the NFC West.