The 49ers were hit hard by the injury bug Sunday during their 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, with a handful of star players forced to leave the field at various points in the game.
Among them was star left tackle Trent Williams, who exited the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury before returning later in the first half.
During a conference call with reporters Monday, coach Kyle Shanahan explained why Williams was able to come back into the game after suffering the injury.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"That's always the toughest thing because you never want to do something to put someone at a huge jeopardy to make it worse," Shananan said. "Well first of all, you've got to ask the trainers, but then you go to the player and you've got to have a history with the player. You've got to kind of know how he is and stuff like that. I truly believe that if Trent couldn't go, Trent's not going to go. He's going to do everything he can to be out there."
Shanahan touched on Williams' own self awareness as a critical component of his decision to get back in the game despite how concerning the injury looked like when it occurred.
He also gave a nod to the courage Williams displayed in his efforts to slow down All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett.
"But Trent's a very intelligent guy who is also very competitive and understands what those decisions are," Shanahan said. "He said he could come back; I wasn't expecting him because of how bad the injury looked. The trainers thought that it wasn't as serious as it looked. Trent was adamant to get back out there and then we keep our eyes on him all game, which [run game coordinator/offensive line coach] Chris Foerster does a real good job of.
San Francisco 49ers
"So does [assistant offensive line coach James] Cregg and [assistant offensive line coach] Joe [Graves], his assistants. Trent, we thought battled during the game, didn't show any limps. It was a pretty courageous effort by him coming out and those circumstances, especially the player he was going against."
While Williams' decision to continue playing was heroic, he clearly was hampered by the injury as the game dragged on.
Williams allowed a team-high four pressures on 29 pass-blocking snaps after surrendering just four total pressures during the first five games of the season combined.
Shanahan also stated Williams will be day-to-day with a high ankle sprain, leaving his status for next Monday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings unclear at the moment.