49ers Rule Out Several Starters vs. Falcons; DE Nick Bosa to Play?

The San Francisco 49ers will look to extend their win streak to three games when they take on the Atlanta Falcons but will be doing so without a handful of key players - and the list may continue to grow leading up to kickoff.

The Atlanta Falcons (2-3) will host the San Francisco 49ers (3-2) in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, but neither team is expected to be at full strength - one moreso than the other.

The Falcons will be down running back Cordarrelle Patterson and starting inside linebacker Mykal Walker appears to be on the outside looking in to play.

However, Atlanta is expected to get Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Pitts back after missing last week's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Additionally, the Falcons have a chance to get nickel corner Isaiah Oliver back from injured reserve.

The injury news is much worse for San Francisco. The visitors have already ruled out safety Jimmie Ward and defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, while left tackle Trent Williams is extremely unlikely to suit up.

Williams has missed each of the 49ers' last two games, and his replacement, Colton McKivitz, was placed on injured reserve a week ago, meaning San Francisco will enter Atlanta down to its third string left tackle to protect quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's blind side.

The biggest question facing San Francisco is whether star defensive end Nick Bosa, who's tied for the league lead in sacks, will suit up. Bosa is battling a groin injury and has yet to practice this week. However, coach Kyle Shanahan said that Bosa's "got a chance to play," indicating his status may run all the way up to kickoff.

The 49ers will also be without cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who suffered a torn ACL last week and will miss the remainder of the season.

San Francisco finds itself in an interesting predicament, as outside linebacker Samson Ebukam (Achilles) and offensive guard Aaron Banks (knee) were both limited due to "tendonitis from the turf" at the Carolina Panthers' Bank of America Stadium, per Shanahan.

The nature of the injuries arrives at a bad time for the NFC West-leading 49ers, as they'll be playing on turf once again this week in Atlanta.

In positive news for San Francisco, kicker Robbie Gould was a full participant in practice and should be good to go after missing Wednesday with a knee bruise.

Though it's just Week 6, both the Falcons and 49ers are not particularly close to full health. Nevertheless, the game presents a big opportunity for both sides, as Atlanta can get back to .500 and defend home turf while San Francisco will look to stretch its winning streak to three games.

The Falcons, donning their throwback red helmets, will take on the injury-riddled 49ers at 1 p.m. Sunday.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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