The 49ers left Sunday’s win over the Broncos with more than just a victory. They also came out of a bruising game with a handful of injury questions, though Kyle Shanahan had some encouraging news after the final whistle.
The biggest concern centered on fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who went down after taking a helmet to the knee and appeared to hyperextend it. He needed help from trainers to get off the field, and the scene looked bad in the moment.
But Shanahan said the early read is that it may be a knee sprain and that initial tests indicate Juszczyk’s ACL is intact. A final answer will have to wait until after an MRI.
That matters for San Francisco because Juszczyk is such a key piece of the offense, both as a blocker and as a receiver. He actually hauled in a pass for a first down on the same play that ended with the injury.
Shanahan also confirmed two other exits from the game. Safety Marques Sigle left with an ankle injury, then returned before leaving again late.
The good sign there was that he walked off on his own and did not need a cart. Cornerback Upton Stout was also banged up, and Shanahan said the early expectation is an AC joint injury.
There was another brief scare when Fred Warner came out of the game, but he returned, and Shanahan said it was a stomach issue.
The injury list comes on top of a hard-fought game in which both defenses controlled much of the action through the first three quarters. Denver losing both starting cornerbacks helped open things up for the 49ers late, allowing them to finally string together some scoring drives.
Now San Francisco turns to Seattle next week, and while the 49ers don’t have full clarity yet, Shanahan’s update at least left open the possibility that the players who exited against Denver may be available. At this point, none of the injuries sounded season-ending.
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