By Nikki Jhabvala, The Washington Post
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan put his team through an hour and 27 minutes of padding on Thursday for the most intense practice of Super Bowl LVIII week. The practice was held at UNLV's Fertitta Football Complex, and devoted approximately 50 minutes to full team drills after approximately 40 minutes of warmups and positional drills.
Shanahan came away happy with the team's pace and energy, noting that the practice was better than Wednesday's unpadded practice.
He was particularly pleased with the play of midfielder Brock Purdy, who looked solid against both the starting and reserve defensive units during the team's stints.
“He had a rough week,” Shanahan said. “Brooke is pumped.”
The 49ers didn't leave a second to waste in Thursday's practice, moving quickly through 12 periods as CBS's Jim Nantz and Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Evan Washburn watched from the sideline.
San Francisco's injury report remained unchanged, with the exception of the return of left tackle Trent Williams, who practiced fully on Thursday after taking the veteran's usual rest day on Wednesday.
Tight end George Kittle (toe), defensive end Arik Armistead (knee/foot), cornerback Ambry Thomas (ankle) and linebacker Orrin Burks (shoulder) were all limited in Thursday's practice. Defensive tackle Kalia Davis (ankle), whose practice window opened to return from injured reserve two weeks ago, participated fully.
Shanahan's message to his team this week was to “keep sharpening your axe” and staying focused heading into Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I thought it was amazing,” Shanahan said of his players' attention to detail. “The first two days [of Super Bowl week] It's always a challenge. Yesterday was really good, today was even better. Having those two days in a row where we can get as close to our routine as possible is great.
The 49ers' final practice begins Friday at 1:20 PM PT. That evening, players and coaches will be able to spend time with their families at a team barbecue, then resume focus on Saturday.
“I always say Friday is our weekend,” Shanahan said. “Our weekend usually starts around 4pm on a Friday and ends when you go to bed.”
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