NFL Another road test awaits 49ers

San Francisco is hurting for guards as it prepares for Baltimore.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
With their wild-card playoff hopes flickering faintly, the San Francisco 49ers will decide later today whether starting quarterback Jeff Garcia will able to play his first game in five weeks Sunday in Baltimore.
Garcia hasn't played since suffering a high ankle sprain on Oct. 26 in a 16-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Tempe.
Tim Rattay passed the Niners to victories over the St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers to keep the franchise owned by John and Denise DeBartolo York of Canfield in the NFC playoff picture.
But Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Packers in Green Bay has the Niners (5-6) tied for eighth place in the conference with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
To make the playoffs for a third straight season, San Francisco needs help and a road victory.
At disadvantage
The Niners trail the Seahawks by two games for the final wild-card playoff berth. They also trail the Packers. Seattle and Green Bay hold the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over the Niners.
"Until they tell us we are out of it, we aren't out of it," Niners coach Dennis Erickson said. "The biggest thing we have to focus on is trying to win our next game."
It won't be easy. Thanks to overcoming a 17-point deficit against the Seahawks, the Ravens (6-5) are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for first-place in the AFC North Division.
And the Niners have lost seven straight road games.
Erickson said Garcia will start if he's close to 100 percent healthy.
"They key is whether he can move around," Erickson said Tuesday.
After passing for nearly 500 yards against the Rams and Steelers, Rattay struggled in his first road game, completing 14-of-30 attempts for 142 yards at Lambeau Field.
His protection broke down when left guard Ron Stone left the game with a hamstring injury. His replacement, Dwayne Ledford, hurt his ankle and is out for the season.
Rattay threw one interception and was sacked four times. The Niners' rushing game was limited to 73 yards.
Because the Niners are hurting for guards, Erickson and his staff are considering moving left tackle Derrick Deese to guard and starting rookie Kwame Harris in Deese's spot.
"It's a possibility -- we're down on guards," Erickson said. "It's a hard thing switching from tackle to guard because the calls are different and the protection is different. But Deese has played there in the past so that helps."
Defensively, cornerback Mike Rumph (ankle) and linebacker Jeff Ulbrich (leg) are doubtful.
The Niners' defense struggled to contain Packers tailback Ahman Green (154 yards on 27 carries) and won't find this Sunday's task any easier because the Ravens line up Jamal Lewis at tailback.
Health helps
"Lewis has tremendous speed and he can break the long ones, so he scares the [dickens] out of you," Erickson said. "Their offensive line has stayed healthy -- they and the Packers have been fortunate in that they have not had to make a lot of personnel changes."
Erickson, who coached at the University of Miami from 1989-94, said he's not surprised that Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis has blossomed into one of the NFL's best defensive players. Erickson recruited Lewis to Miami and coached him for two seasons before becoming the Seahawks head coach in 1995.
"I can't say that we projected then that he would become as good as he is, but he did play for us as a true freshman," Erickson said. "He certainly has a nose for the football. He's all over the field."
williams@vindy.com