The 49ers’ Week 3 meeting with the Cardinals turned ugly fast on the injury front, even as San Francisco built a 23-13 lead at Levi’s Stadium.
Mike Evans was the first major loss. The 49ers wide receiver came up with a ribs injury in the first half, worked his way to the sideline, and then was carted to the locker room.
He has been ruled out for the rest of the game. Evans had entered the week questionable because of a hip injury.
The hits kept coming after halftime. On San Francisco’s opening touchdown drive of the third quarter, Trent Williams was carted off with what was described as a “stinger.” The 49ers left tackle is questionable to return.
San Francisco’s injury issues have already been a major talking point this week. Earlier in the week, Kyle Shanahan pointed to the toll on the defensive line after Nick Bosa’s latest setback.
“Losing Bosa was rough yesterday. Losing six out of the ten D-linemen in the last two weeks, that made our team is a little unusual.
Don’t think I’ve been a part of that. That has been different," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters earlier this week.
Arizona has been dealing with its own losses, too. The Cardinals recently placed Will Johnson on injured reserve, and the list of other sidelined names includes Tip Reiman, Chase Bisontis, James Conner, Kaleb Proctor and more.
Even with the injury trouble, the 49ers came into the day 2-0 and had control of the game while the Cardinals struggled to generate any real momentum.
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What made the win feel bigger than the scoreboard was the injury picture developing around it. Deommodore Lenoir and Mike Evans were among the players who dealt with issues, and for a team trying to build rhythm while scoring in spurts and trading field goals, the concern was impossible to ignore. The 49ers walked into the locker room with control of the game, but also with the kind of health questions that can linger long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]