The San Francisco 49ers took off for Dallas on Saturday afternoon right on schedule. That was not a given. On Friday, an FAA air traffic system failure grounded departing flights across the United States for more than four hours, and teams with Sunday road games had to watch the backlog. The 7-1 49ers flew out as planned for Sunday’s game against the 4-5 Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium (4:25 p.m. ET, 11:25 p.m. Cairo).
It is the first leg of a long trip. The 49ers will not go home after Dallas. They will fly to Colorado, practice there during the week, and then go to Mexico City for the Week 11 Sunday night game against the Minnesota Vikings at Estadio Banorte on November 22.
Hobbs and West stay on injured reserve
Cornerback Nate Hobbs (groin) and defensive tackle C.J. West (knee) were both still on injured reserve when they were listed as questionable on Friday. On Saturday, the 49ers downgraded both to out and did not activate either one for the game.
The 49ers also did not elevate anyone from the practice squad. That leaves four defensive tackles on the 53-man roster for Sunday: DeForest Buckner, Osa Odighizuwa, James Thompson Jr. and Sebastian Valdez. Defensive ends Mykel Williams and Keion White can also move inside.
“We’re leaving for 8 days”
Kyle Shanahan previewed the trip at his Friday press conference, and he admitted it had not fully sunk in yet. He joked that he needed to be reminded that the team is leaving for eight days. “When we get on that plane and it says we’re landing in Colorado, it’ll probably click,” he said. “We just hang out in a hotel anyways, get some practices in.”
“We’ll start up in Colorado Wednesday. Then we’ll head to Mexico on Saturday,” Shanahan said. He said the players will get a couple of days off after Dallas while the coaches put together the game plan. The 49ers posted the full press conference.
Shanahan said he had not heard about the ground stop until a reporter asked him about it. “I didn’t know. I just first heard,” he said. He said the team would keep its normal walkthrough time on Saturday morning.
Altitude: “A couple percent better”
The 49ers did the same thing in 2022, the last time they played in Mexico City, when they stayed in Colorado before the game. Shanahan, who grew up mainly in Denver, said he knows what thin air does to a body. “It didn’t matter how good a shape you’re in. Like when I come home from college, you’d run up the stairs and be out of breath,” he said. “It takes some time to get used to it.”
He noted that Mexico City sits higher than Denver. “It’s not make or break by no means, but I do think it makes you a couple percent better,” he said.
The plan is to practice outdoors. Shanahan said the temperatures got into the teens the last time, and Troy Calhoun, the Air Force head coach, changed some schedules so the 49ers could work in the academy’s bubble. “Supposed to be warmer from what I’ve been told,” Shanahan said. “We’d rather be outside, but if it gets too cold we’ll go inside.”
Trent Williams: “Sunday comes fast”
Left tackle Trent Williams hurt his shoulder in practice on Thursday and is questionable for Dallas. “Anytime he hurts your shoulder on a Thursday, you know, it doesn’t make you totally at ease. Sunday comes fast,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully that’s enough time for him to be all right.”
He called Williams “huge” to the offense. “He’s a captain for a reason, and everyone knows Trent Williams, one of the best players in this league,” Shanahan said.
Tackle Austen Pleasants is not an option yet. “Not now,” Shanahan said, because the team has not opened his window to return to practice. He said the 49ers might have considered it if the injury had happened earlier in the week, but he is comfortable with the tackles they have.
Keenan Allen “will have a role,” and a punter workout
Keenan Allen got “three good practices in” this week, Shanahan said. Allen is still catching up on the offense, and Shanahan expects him to take on “more and more each week.” Asked whether Allen will play on Sunday, he said, “Yeah, he’ll have a role.” Deebo Samuel is also back and healthy after what Shanahan called a good week.
The 49ers also brought in punter Jack Stonehouse for a workout. Shanahan said he had not known about it, but guessed it was so the returners could see a punt that spins the other way. “Catching punts is one of the harder things in sports,” he said. “So, can’t get enough work of it.”
For the history of the rivalry and how the two teams match up, see our step-by-step preview.
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