49ers LB Dre Greenlaw returns to practice Tuesday

Jan 10, 2023, 12:41 PM | Updated: 2:08 pm

Dre Greenlaw #57 of the San Francisco 49ers runs onto the field for the game against the Tampa Bay ...

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San Francisco 49ers Beat Writer

Sticking to the plan this week, linebacker Dre Greenlaw returned to practice Tuesday afternoon for the 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that the team’s starting LB will be back on the field after missing Week 18 with a back strain. Greenlaw suffered the injury in Week 17 in Las Vegas, missing the entire fourth quarter and overtime versus the Raiders.

Staying off the field since then, the 49ers have felt lucky that the injury wasn’t worse, able to get their second-leading tackler back for the postseason.

The Red & Gold also got guard Aaron Banks back Tuesday, missing Week 18 with a knee injury stemming from New Year’s Day. Another injury the 49ers are thankful isn’t serious, as Banks did work off to the side of practice last week. Both players will be limited in their first day back, but a good sign for playing in wild-card weekend nonetheless.

Fellow LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles returned to the field Tuesday after suffering a neck injury in the regular-season finale. Additionally, defensive tackle Kevin Givens (knee) will be full go for the playoffs, missing from action since Week 14.

Getting healthier with each passing week, the 49ers have won 10 games straight, now facing the Seattle Seahawks for a third time this season. Despite the previous two meetings ending in a dominant win for San Francisco, Shanahan and the team treat each week like a blank slate, hoping to go 1-0 after each postseason contest.

“I look at it as we only have to beat him once, because there is no more ‘in a row’. Everything behind us doesn’t matter and it’s a one-game season right now. So we got to beat them this week one time and then that’ll allow us to move to next week,” Shanahan said Tuesday.