The San Francisco 49ers have every reason to be motivated as a road-traveling team in the Wild Card round of the playoffs when they square off with the Philadelphia Eagles with a trip to the divisional round on the line.
Not just to advance and keep Super Bowl dreams alive, but to also open up the door to a possibility All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner returns from the devastating ankle injury he suffered back in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Originally, that injury was presumed to be of the season-ending variety. But Warner, whose rehabilitation has been approached with the same ferocity and intensity as he carries on the field, put himself back into the mix to possibly return during the playoffs.