In what should be an intriguing San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys matchup on Wild Card Weekend, what is the situation with the injury report entering the game? Let’s examine which players are on the injury report for both the Cowboys and 49ers, who has been ruled out, and who has been cleared this week.
Update 01/16/22: There were no surprises when it came to who was in and out for this 49ers vs. Cowboys game. Although spending time on the injury report, Jimmy Garoppolo, Elijah Mitchell, and Tony Pollard will all play. For the complete list of inactives, make sure to check out our NFL Wild Card Round Inactives.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys injury report
There were a total of 20 players on the injury report across the 49ers and Cowboys this week. The majority of those were on the 49ers, who have had 13 players on the injury report. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have had 7 players on the injury report heading into the Wild Card Weekend contest.
Currently, there are just five players on the injury report. Three of those are questionable, while the remaining two have been ruled out. The other 15 players were all cleared, although three of them were listed due to rest situations as opposed to injuries.
Elijah Mitchell and Jimmy Garoppolo both cleared from the 49ers’ injury report
- LB Azeez Al-Shaair (Knee) – Questionable
- LB Marcell Harris (Achilles) – Questionable
- S Talanoa Hufanga (Knee) – Questionable
- P Mitch Wishnowsky (Concussion)
- RB Elijah Mitchell (Knee)
- DL Nick Bosa (Not injury related)
- C Alex Mack (Not injury related)
- TE George Kittle (Not injury related)
- OT Trent Williams (Elbow)
- QB Jimmy Garoppolo (Right thumb)
- LB Dre Greenlaw (Groin)
- S Jaquiski Tartt (Groin)
- DL Maurice Hurst (Calf)
The key name the 49ers saw cleared from the injury report was Garoppolo. The 49ers have been keen to keep their QB on the field through his thumb injury, so they’re delighted to enter game day with him cleared to play.
They got more good news when P Mitch Wishnowsky cleared the concussion protocol on Saturday. There had been positive news on Friday when he returned to practice as a full participant, but he still needed to clear the final hurdle of the protocol. He will now be available for the 49ers and could play a crucial role.
There are some concerns on defense. Marcell Harris and Talanoa Hufanga were both limited all week and entered Sunday questionable. The bigger concern is around Azeez Al-Shaair, who was downgraded to a non-participant on Friday. Al-Shaair has been a revelation this season with 102 combined tackles and 5 passes defensed in 13 games in 2021.
The Cowboys’ injury report carried positive news for Tony Pollard
- LB Keanu Neal (Chest/Elbow) – Out
- S Israel Mukuamu (Hamstring) – Out
- RB Tony Pollard (Foot)
- OT Tyron Smith (Knee/Ankle)
- CB Nahshon Wright (Not injury related/personal)
- LB Francis Bernard (Groin)
- TE Sean McKeon (Neck)
There was a handful of good news this week for the Cowboys. They got Jayron Kearse back off the COVID list and cleared both Tony Pollard and Tyron Smith off the injury report. The offense will largely be at full strength for this Wild Card matchup against the 49ers.
The return of Kearse is crucial. The Cowboys ruled out Israel Mukuamu at safety, who had stepped up somewhat in Kearse’s absence in Week 18. The loss of Keanu Neal is a concern, especially with one of their top reserve options, Jabril Cox, on the IR already. Luckily, they will have Francis Bernard for the matchup. However, the Cowboys could still have some tough decisions to make at linebacker, especially on passing downs without Neal.