Plenty of ink has been spilled over the years on West Coast teams struggling when playing road games that start in the NFL’s early Sunday time slot.
The 49ers face that issue this week as they visit the Falcons in Atlanta, with an even more condensed turnaround as they’re coming off a win on Monday Night Football over the Washington Commanders.
That means less time for the Niners to rest and recover from injuries, such as the Achilles tendinitis that has bothered wide receiver Mike Evans and forced him out of the game just before halftime on Monday night.
The Niners struggled mightily on offense after Evans went out, as the attrition of their wide receiver corps finally caught up. Ricky Pearsall, Christian Kirk, Demarcus Robinson and Deebo Samuel all have gone down with injuries, leaving the passing game reliant on Evans. Kirk was near a return last week from his calf injury — suffered early in training camp — but was held out.
The same can be said for Nick Bosa and the knee/calf injury he sustained early in the season. Both could play Sunday in Atlanta to boost a 49ers team that might need a jolt, even at 6-0.
The game will air on Fox (KTVU Ch. 2) with Kenny Albert and Greg Olsen on the call at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Niners are 2.5-point favorites entering the weekend.
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