The Sports Xchange

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When star running back Carlos Hyde pulled up during a routine run into the middle of the line Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers’ season teetered in the balance.

Surely, the one-win club couldn’t possible out-finish the Baltimore Ravens, let alone take on a murderer’s row of upcoming opponents, without Hyde, who had sustained an injury to his left foot.

Alas, the second-year back returned to the game two snaps later, the 49ers did out-finish the Ravens for a 25-20 win, and now the club is a win away from passing the defending Super Bowl runner-ups in the standings.

Predictably, Hyde was back to being a bit of a question mark on the day after.

“His foot’s sore,” 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula reported Monday. “I guess it’s a bruise. We’re just managing it with the pounding in practice.”

There won’t be much of that this week for any 49er. The club gets just three days between Sunday’s win and Thursday’s home game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Running back Reggie Bush, who was inactive for the Baltimore game because of a calf injury, might return for the Seattle game. If not, it’ll be a rugby player (Jarryd Hayne) and a rookie fourth-round pick (Mike Davis).

“Are they as good as our starter? No,” Tomsula said of Hayne and Davis. “But they are improving.”

–When it comes to the 49ers and the Seahawks, you have to talk about the field. The Seahawks spilled turkey gravy on the 49ers’ logo on the 50-yard-line of Levi’s Stadium last season when NBC invited them to have Thanksgiving dinner on national television after their 19-3 win.

When Seattle returns for the first time Thursday, the stain likely will be gone. And so will a chunk of turf near the 35-yard-line, where Ravens kicker Justin Tucker took up a huge divot with his plant foot while trying an unsuccessful 45-yard field goal in Sunday’s 25-20 loss.

“As soon as my plant foot went into the ground,” Tucker reported, “(it went) literally into the ground.”

–The 49ers have only three days to prepare for the Seahawks, but they nonetheless figure to have a new look by the time the defending NFC West champs arrive in town. Wideout Jerome Simpson’s six-game suspension ended Sunday, and he’s eligible to be activated for Thursday’s game.

And the 49ers appear primed to do just that, despite the fact Simpson hasn’t been allowed to work out with the team during his suspension.

The 49ers on Monday requested a roster exemption that allowed the former Cincinnati Bengal to return to practice.

“We’re going to see how he does,” Tomsula said.

Meanwhile, with two injured running backs and having recently traded away their backup center, the 49ers worked out former New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas and eight-year NFL veteran center Samson Satele on Monday.

Notes: Wide receiver Torrey Smith burned his former team for a career-long, 76-yard touchdown in Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens. Smith caught just three passes in the game, but they went for 96 yards. … Wide receiver Jerome Simpson completed his six-game suspension Sunday and was eligible to rejoin the 49ers at practice Monday. It’s possible he could be activated in time to play Thursday night against Seattle. … Inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman played all 77 defensive snaps in the 49ers’ win Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens. 49ers coach Jim Tomsula admitted Monday he’s concerned about Bowman’s possible overuse. Bowman, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, has been on the field for at least 70 snaps in each of the last four games.