SANTA CLARA — Coach Kyle Shanahan had the perfect retort Thursday when a reporter pulled out an unacceptable term in these parts to ask about the 49ers’ home crowd.
The question: “How important is the 12th man?”
“We don’t call them the 12th Man here,” Shanahan said, alluding to NFC West rival Seattle’s moniker for its fan base. “But our crowd is very important. Our crowd I think is the best in football.
“They travel extremely well, and they don’t have to travel this week. I hear Lions fans travel pretty well.”
The 49ers look to improve to 6-0 in playoff games at 10-year-old Levi’s Stadium when the Detroit Lions visit Sunday for the NFC Championship Game.
In earning the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the 49ers drew a bye for the wild-card round before rallying Saturday in a 24-21 divisional-round win over the Green Bay Packers.
“I mean, we love having home-field advantage. Our defense more than anything; our players coming out of the tunnel. We want to win it here. It’s a huge deal,” Shanahan said. “It affects everybody.
“Everybody likes playing at home, but in football, when it’s loud, that truly is an advantage. That truly messes up what one side of the ball can do on the other team. That’s why it’s very important that we’re loud.”
SAMUEL BACK ON FIELD
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel will be limited in practice today, a promising sign that he might be able to play through a shoulder injury.
Samuel’s left shoulder got injured on the opening possession of Saturday’s win. He did not practice Wednesday but instead was seen running sprints the length of the field under the supervision of the 49ers’ training staff.
Initial X-rays did not reveal a fracture, Shanahan reported Monday. Samuel injured the same shoulder Oct. 15 at Cleveland and missed the next two games, all of which encompassed a three-game losing streak.
DEFENDING THE DEFENSE
The 49ers have invested major financial and draft capital in their defensive line. Despite producing no sacks against the Packers’ Jordan Love, neither Shanahan nor defensive coordinator Steve Wilks expressed alarm over the high-priced pass rush — and both instead reinforced the need to improve on perimeter run defense.
“I don’t go in there and say: ‘Look at these millions, look at these sacks, that’s unacceptable.’ I go in and look how we’re playing,” Shanahan said. “If we’ve got a four-man rush and people are chipping every time and the back is staying in to help — which means you have eight guys in protection, there’s one quarterback, two guys on a route and seven in coverage – you’re probably not getting any sacks but I don’t think they’re getting any points, either.
“There’s a balance to it. Yeah, we want more sacks. But how are we going to do it. I liked how our D-line played.”
Chase Young wasn’t publicly chastised for his starting debut, as Wilks instead noted that the entire defense must improve.
“Chase stepped in and did well. We didn’t have any sacks but he was effective rushing the passer and putting pressure on the quarterback,” Wilks said.
It bears noting that Nick Bosa was a stride from hitting Love when he uncorked a pass that Dre Greenlaw secured for a game-clinching interception in the final minute.
SECONDARY REVIEW
Wilks didn’t tip his hand whether Logan Ryan would start again at safety next to Tashaun Gipson, or whether rookie Ji’Ayir Brown would get his first playoff snaps Sunday.
“I would say we overall all have to improve. Logan has to improve on tackling. Ji’Ayir is still in the mix and see how goes this week. If he plays, if he starts, we don’t know. It’s an ongoing process.”
As for No. 3 cornerback Ambry Thomas, who drew two pass-interference penalties, Wilks said: “He didn’t have his best game. He’s pretty resilent and I know he’ll bounce back strong. He’s got to get over the mindset of his (casted) wrist and go play. I’m confident he’ll go out there and bounce back this week.”
HONORARY CAPTAINS
Sunday’s honorary captains will be former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and former Lions running back Barry Sanders, each of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. General manager John Lynch announced those roles during his Thursday morning segment on KNBR 680-AM. Montana, who quarterbacked the 49ers to their first four Super Bowl wins in the 1980s, typically attends at least one 49ers game a year, including October’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and the 2022 season’s defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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LEVI’S NAMING RIGHTS
Levi’s extended its naming rights deal for the 10-year-old stadium through the 2043 season, pending the approval of the Stadium Advisory Board next week. The 10-year extension is worth $170 million, according to the 49ers.
Levi’s Stadium is the NFL’s fifth-newest stadium, behind those in Minnesota (2016), Atlanta (2017), Los Angeles (2020) and Las Vegas (2020), with new venues expected in Buffalo (2026) and Tennessee (2027). In 2026, Levi’s will host the Super Bowl (Feb. 8) and World Cup soccer (June-July), and approximately $200 million in renovations are expected before then.
Levi’s initially signed a 20-year, $220.3 million deal for naming rights on as the Santa Clara-owned stadium back in 2013. Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor praised the deal in a statement. “For me this is a landmark deal, at a landmark time for an iconic franchise on both sides,” 49ers president Al Gudio said.
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