Nick Bosa has barely practiced since he was forced to leave a loss to the Seahawks on Nov. 17, but the San Francisco 49ers are saying their All-Pro pass rusher has a chance to play Thursday night against the Rams.
The 49ers have listed Bosa as questionable to return to the field following a three-game absence after he was limited Wednesday in his first practice since he was sidelined with hip and oblique injuries.
The presence of the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year would be a massive lift in a must-win game. The 49ers were 5-4 and leading the Seahawks 10-6 in the third quarter of a 20-17 loss when Bosa was sidelined. They are now 6-7 and have allowed 100 points in 13-plus quarters.
Meanwhile, rookie running back Isaac Guerendo (foot sprain) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (Achilles) are also questionable to play. Guerendo, the 49ers' third-string running back, was forced to exit in a 38-13 win over the Bears on Sunday in which he had 128 total yards, averaged 7.5 yards per touch and scored two touchdowns. If he can't play, the 49ers will give Patrick Taylor, a four-year veteran with 79 career carries, his first career start.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was noncommittal Tuesday when asked if Greenlaw would make his season debut against the Rams, saying he wanted to see how Greenlaw fared in practice during the week. Greenlaw was a full participant Wednesday for the first time since the 49ers opened his practice window Nov. 27.
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In other injury news, All-Pro left tackle Trent Wiliams (ankle) will miss his fourth straight game and rookie safety Malik Mustapha (chest, shoulder) is also out. Mustapha will be replaced by Ji'Ayir Brown, who started the first 12 games but was benched in favor of Mustapha when Talanoa Hufanga returned from a seven-game absence to play against the Bears.
Desperate talk: Quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle are among those who said the 49ers played with a "desperation" that was a reason for the romp over the Bears.
So what took so long for the 49ers to channel that emotion? Linebacker Fred Warner said there was desperation in blowout losses at Green Bay and Buffalo that dropped the 49ers to 5-7 before they snapped a three-game losing streak against the Bears.
"I know there's been talk about desperation around the building ever since that game this past Sunday," Warner said. "I haven't talked about it much because I felt like that was already the feeling the last few weeks. It just hadn't really come together like you wanted it to ...
"I don't want it to get lost - like we didn't go out there in Green Bay and we didn't go out in Buffalo saying, 'Oh, let's just hope that we win.' Trust me, I felt desperate as hell going into both of those games. It just didn't work out."
