Grit. Dee Ford has that. The San Francisco 49ers pass-rusher is dealing with a lingering knee injury that might require surgery in the offseason. Is that going to stop him from playing? N-O.

Ford didn't play the second half of the 49ers'  41-17 route of the Cincinnati Bengals as he aggravated the injury that gave him trouble during the offseason. Despite that, he played in Week 3, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and notched a sack. It's nothing that he can't take.

I had to deal with it last year, too,” Ford said on Tuesday, via Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports. “I didn’t expect it to come back this soon, but it’s nothing I can’t take. I’ve been through worse.”

Per Chan, Ford said that he dealt with knee tendinitis, irritation to his quadriceps and a torn groin in the 2018 season, playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. He suffered the groin injury in Week 3, against the 49ers, and proceeded not to miss a game and tally a career-high in sacks (13).

As he says, “I played through a lot of stuff.”

For Ford, the knee injury isn't something that's going to set him back. He's been through worse, dating all the way back to a year ago.

“We’ll go further once we get done at the end of the year,” Ford said. “We’ll see what we have to do. We’ll have to do something, of course. This is nothing that’s going to hinder me this year. I’ve been through worse.”

Ford, as he claims, will continue rushing the passer alongside Nick Bosa for the 49ers. Through two weeks of play, he has compiled a pair of sacks.