San Francisco 49ers star Trent Williams is the single-best left tackle in the business today. The nine-time Pro Bowler has dominated in two seasons since being acquired from the Washington Football Team in a blockbuster trade.
Fresh off two consecutive road wins to open the playoffs, San Francisco can punch its ticket to Super Bowl LVI with a win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday.
Unfortunately, there’s a chance Williams will not be on the field for the game.
Despite playing all of one offensive snap in last Saturday’s NFC Divisional Playoff win over the Green Bay Packers, Williams was seen in obvious pain throughout the matchup. In fact, he was seen by reporters in crutches after the game.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to the media on Monday, talking about the numerous injuries San Francisco suffered through in the frigid and icy Green Bay conditions. Shanahan noted that Trent Williams suffered a sprained ankle in the game and will be evaluated throughout the week to see if he can go against the Rams.
Shanahan was not sure whether Williams is dealing with a high-ankle or low-ankle sprain. The difference would be dramatic. If it’s of the high-ankle variety, the future Hall of Fame tackle is extremely unlikely to suit up against a potentially dominant Rams pass-rush group.
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Trent Williams status key for San Francisco 49ers in NFC Championship Game
Already without starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey for the remainder of the season, San Francisco desperately needs to have Williams on the field. This offensive line struggled big time in Saturday’s win over the Packers. It is also slated to take on the likes of Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd and Von Miller in the conference title game. That’s already a difficult matchup with Williams in the mix.
Williams, 33, posted the highest grade in the history of Pro Football Focus this past regular season (99.0). He’s allowed all of one sack in his past 735 pass-blocking snaps. That’s utterly insane.
Given how Jimmy Garoppolo has struggled through two playoff games (303 passing yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions), putting pressure on him will be key to the Rams’ hopes of advancing to the Super Bowl.
Back in Week 18 against these Rams without Trent Williams in the mix, Garoppolo did lead the 49ers back from a 17-0 late second-quarter deficit to win in overtime and punch their ticket to the playoffs. However, that game also saw him sacked three times while throwing two interceptions.