The San Francisco 49ers are favorites to win against the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional rounds as they have one of the best defenses in the league. Their already-strong defense gets stronger with the return of Kwon Alexander, but he won't be available for every snap.
According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, the linebacker who was injured since Week 9 should be able to play for the 49ers against the Vikings. His pectoral tear has recovered enough that he can play some snaps without endangering his overall health. The team's coaching staff will be looking to insert him into the rotation in spurts.
“I know Kwon will fly around,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’ll hit. He’ll be energetic. He’ll get everyone going. I think everyone will feel his energy on the field. And we’ll see how it goes.
“We’re not going to throw him out there, just down-in and down-out. But we don’t have a plan, where it’s only going to be ‘this’ amount. He’s looked good in practice, but we’re also not laying people out in practice.”
Before going down with an injury in Week 9, the 49ers linebacker had 34 tackles, 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble, four pass deflections, and one interception to his name.
Alexander hasn't played a snap of football for two months now, and he will be out of shape for much of the game. The 49ers will have to pick well when they insert Alexander, so he gets back into playing form while winning their divisional round match.