The 49ers are nearly back. It feels like a month since they've played any game of consequence, but with Tuesday's availability, the 49ers returned to a normal game week.
There was plenty to dissect, and while we'll get into the nuances of their opponents later this week, Tuesday had myriad storylines.
Inside the Kristin Juszczyk-Taylor Swift collab, featuring... the owner of FedEx???
Unless you sleep under a rock, you may be aware of the fact that Taylor Swift is dating Travis Kelce. Anyone who has watched a Chiefs game in the last few months will have seen Swift in the box, supporting Kelce.
There is a thing that happens when celebrities reach a level of superstardom that makes us averse to them being shown so frequently. Networks know that people want to see Swift, whether or not they want to see Swift.
The point is that if there's one person that can draw attention, it's Swift. And on Saturday night, Kristin Juszczyk, the wife of 49ers All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk felt that attention.
Kristin Juszczyk has been making homemade outfits for the past few years by combining existing clothing with NFL clothing. For Saturday's game, she sent a homemade pair of jackets to the Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Patrick Mahomes, for both Mahomes and Swift to wear at the Chiefs' frigid Wild Card matchup with the Miami Dolphins.
She had already done — amongst other notable work — a Brock Purdy MVP puffer for Deebo Samuel, and another puffer for Simone Biles, whose husband, Jonathan Owens, plays for the Packers.
But those Chiefs jackets - with the assistance of a tweet from ESPN's Adam Schefter, who gave Juszczyk credit and linked to her social media profiles - got Kristin Juszczyk nearly 100,000 Instagram followers on Saturday night alone.
While Kyle Juszczyk told reporters that she is not currently doing interviews, he said that she's received an abundance of attention, hinting that there are some deals in the works.
"She's had every company reach out to her, every news outlet," Kyle Juszczyk said. "She has every option on the table right now, so she's going back and forth with a few companies and then some good stuff's gonna come."
While the Swift jacket was the most high-profile fit of the weekend, it wasn't the only one. Another recipient of Juszczyk's handiwork was actor and Detroit Lions fans Taylor Lautner, who received a custom Aidan Hutchinson jacket on the field before the game.
In order for that to happen, the "owner" of FedEx — whose chairman and CEO is Frederick W. Smith — and a couple trucks had to get involved.
"He got it on the field," Juszczyk said. "She overnighted it, it was supposed to get there the day before. It got stuck in Memphis. Somehow, she got a hold of the owner of FedEx and spoke with his son. He said it was their mission to get that package to him. And they sent a truck to go pick it up in Memphis. The truck broke down. They sent another truck, and then he literally got delivered on the sidelines. So shout out to FedEx."
Part of what was so feel-good about the story was Kyle Juszczyk's public support of his wife's hard work. Wholesome screenshots/memes were posted of Juszczyk going through Twitter replies to clarify that Swift's jacket came from his wife.
He talked Tuesday about why it was so important for him to make sure his wife got that credit, saying that he heard announcers crediting Nike for her work. He had to amend the public record.
He was effusive in his praise of his wife and her work, saying that some of her jackets take 20 hours. He recalled waking up to go to work at three or four in the morning to come downstairs and find her working.
He said he was ecstatic for her and was amazed at the way the football, fashion and Swift worlds collided in a way he described as "99.9 percent positive."
"Oh my god, just pure joy just to see her get that recognition," Juszczyk said. "She's been grinding for years now. She's been working so hard. So, so happy to see her get her stuff out there, everybody see it, and people recognize that it was hers."
Practice report
It appears that the 49ers are nearly as healthy as they could be at this juncture. While starting defensive end Clelin Ferrell will miss Sunday's game with a knee injury, a host of players are on the right track to play. Here's Tuesday's practice report:
Did Not Participate In Practice
- DE Clelin Ferrell (knee)
- LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles tendonitis)
- S Logan Ryan (groin)
- T Trent Williams (not injury related - resting player)
Limited Participation in Practice
- DT Arik Armstead (foot, knee)
- S George Odum (biceps)
Full Participation in Practice
- S Ji'Ayir Brown (knee)
- C Jon Feliciano (back)
- S Tashaun Gipson (quadricep)
- WR Danny Gray (shoulder)
- TE George Kittle (back)
- RB Christian McCaffrey (calf)
- CB Ambry Thomas (hand)
There is little need to worry about Dre Greenlaw. Kyle Shanahan clarified that Tuesday was a planned day of rest for the linebacker, who the 49ers worked hard in Monday's practice. He's expected to be back for Wednesday's practice, as is safety Logan Ryan, who has to clear a few hurdles.
George Odum also has a "chance" this week to play, but that might not be as pressing given that the 49ers have recovered safety depth over the last few weeks.
On that last point, rookie safety Ji'Ayir Brown said Tuesday that he would return to his starting role Saturday, after sustaining a knee injury.
The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, didn't practice Tuesday. Here's an estimation of their injury report:
Did Not Participate In Practice
- RB A.J. Dillon (thumb, neck)
- DT Kingsley Enagbare (knee)
- G Elgton Jenkins (knee, ankle)
- LB Isaiah McDuffie (neck)
- LB Preston Smith (ankle)
Limited Participation in Practice
- CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder, ankle)
- DE Kenny Clark (back)
- LB Rashan Gary (knee)
- RB Aaron Jones (knee, finger)
- CB Keisean Nixon (toe)
- S Jonathan Owens (knee)
- WR Jayden Reed (chest)
- S Darnell Savage (shoulder, calf)
- WR Christian Watson (hamstring)
Full Participation in Practice
- LB Quay Walker (shoulder)
A rare opportunity for pure first-team battles
For the first time since training camp, the 49ers got to play ones versus ones last week without any gameplan.
Over the course of the season, that becomes a rarity. Both units are usually practicing with a specific game plan in mind. But Shanahan said that was impossible without knowing who the 49ers would play.
So, the 49ers got after it last week, a "really fun" experience of first team versus first team, according to Fred Warner, who went back and forth with Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle about which unit won. That context explains why they were vying for bragging rights after Thursday's practice.
"A lot of them got half a game some just got about a quarter, so it's crucial to get two days in and we had a real hard practice on Thursday," Shanahan said Tuesday. "We went full pads on Friday. Got all the work in, didn't lose anybody for sure. So that was really the goal. And also give as much work as we can. We'll get two days this week to do really the exact same thing."