The San Francisco 49ers will end the regular season by training and playing home games in Arizona after the ban on contact types in their home county was extended until January.
The Niners moved to Arizona in early December after Santa Clara County announced a three-week ban on contact sports games and practices to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. That ban was originally scheduled to be lifted on December 21, but has now been extended at least until January 8, which means the San Franciscos home game on January 3 against Seattle will be played in Arizona.
The 49ers expected to be forced to stay in Arizona for the remainder of the season and have made plans for many families of players, coaches and staff to join them next week for Christmas.
The day we were forced to leave we practically assumed it would happen, coach Kyle Shanahan said on Friday. That is why we made the decision earlier. We weren’t going to wait for something we knew was inevitable. We planned to break up our families and I know not everyone can do it, but anyone who can get it has demolished our families. I know the mines are coming tomorrow and they will go through a test service. So, as long as it goes well, I know I will be able to personally see them on Sunday night. And I think a lot of people are in the same boat.
The 49ers arrived in Arizona on December 2 and began training the next day. The team is staying at a hotel near the Arizona Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, where they play their home games. There are also training grounds nearby, keeping the team in a confined area.
After winning in Los Angeles against the Rams in their last game before moving, the Niners (5-8) have lost twice in their new home to Buffalo and Washington in the past two weeks to dramatically reduce their playoff chances. playoffs.
I thought we had a chance to really start, to get better every week and after that Rams game, since we came here, I think we’ve taken two steps back, Shanahan said. I didn’t really think about the playoffs. I haven’t thought of three games. It’s important for me that we play better. There’s a certain standard that we expect. Whatever your apologies, I know we can play better than the last couple of weeks and that’s really all I talked about.
San Francisco travels to Dallas on Sunday before playing a Dec. 26 road game against the Cardinals at the stadium the teams currently share. The Week 17 game against the Seahawks concludes the schedule.
NOTES: WR Deebo Samuel (hamstrings) and OL Hroniss Grasu (knee) came out this week. … LB Fred Warner (stinger), CB Emmanuel Moseley (hamstrings) and CB KWaun Williams (ankle) are questionable. … RB Raheem Mostert will play despite an ankle injury and TE George Kittle will not be IR activated until next week at the earliest.
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