Injury update
Antonio Gates sat out Wednesday's first big practice of the week with soreness in his back. But he expects to play Sunday against the Patriots.
"It tightened up today," he said. "I just decided not to see any action today, but I'll be back tomorrow."
Asked if there were a particular hit or play in Sunday's game that caused the problem, he said: "I took a lot of hits, man, so it wasn't (anything) I can identify and say this is the reason I'm sore."
Additionally, Shawne Merriman was limited because of Achilles soreness. Backup fullback Andrew Pinnock sat out Wednesday with a hamstring injury. But safety Clinton Hart (quad) and return specialist Darren Sproles (concussion) were full participants.