SANTA CLARA, Calif. — So there was Justin Smith, inside a tent on Wednesday, behind a lectern, clad in gray San Francisco 49ers sweats complete with the requisite lineman stains. His face hinted at neither worry nor concern. That whole thing about a partly torn triceps tendon?

What whole thing about a partly torn triceps tendon?

Smith, an All-Pro defensive lineman, took several questions about the injury, which in December ended his streak of consecutive starts dating to 2001. He spoke of his “love-hate” relationship with the bulky black brace he wore on his left arm last weekend against the Green Bay Packers. He even noted the obvious possibility that he could exacerbate the injury and further tear the tendon, which he dismissed with a quick “I’m not concerned.”

He added, “I really don’t want to get into how it feels, or this or that.”

Smith’s injury, however he wanted to deal with or describe it, loomed anyway over San Francisco’s preparation for the N.F.C. championship game Sunday in Atlanta against the Falcons. That is because Smith is more than simply important to the 49ers’ defense; he is emblematic of both the team and its hard-hat mentality, which made San Francisco a trendy Super Bowl favorite pick this week.

In the 49ers’ 45-31 demolition of the Packers, another trendy Super Bowl favorite before last weekend, Smith played all but five defensive snaps. According to statistics compiled during the coaches’ film review, Smith recorded four solo tackles, four assisted tackles, two quarterback hits and four quarterback pressures. The official game statistics credited him with five tackles.