The San Francisco 49ers will be looking to stay undefeated when they host the Washington Commanders on Monday, Oct. 19. But the injury bug has been relentless for them, and they will continue to be without several key players.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a hamstring injury he suffered last Sunday versus the Seattle Seahawks. Wideout Demarcus Robinson remains out with a high ankle sprain, but head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he could return as soon as Week 7 versus the Atlanta Falcons.
There was some hope that defensive end Nick Bosa would be able to return this Monday after sustaining a calf strain prior to the Niners’ Week 3 contest versus the Arizona Cardinals. But some bad news came down regarding him on Saturday.
Who is in and who is out?
Nick Wagoner of ESPN reported that Bosa has been ruled out for the game against the Commanders. Bosa said a week ago that he felt he would be able to return in Week 7 and possibly even as soon as Week 6.
Calf strains are nothing to play around with. Bay Area sports fans will remember when NBA superstar Kevin Durant, who was then a member of the Golden State Warriors, suffered one during the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. He returned about four weeks later during Game 5 of that year’s NBA Finals and promptly tore his Achilles.
Bosa had already missed all but three games last year due to a torn ACL. He did not take part in practice this week.
Wide receiver Mike Evans, who has been huge for the Niners so far this season, has been dealing with a rib injury for a couple of weeks. This week, a new ailment came up for him: an Achilles issue. As a result, he’s listed as questionable for Monday, and Shanahan implied that the team won’t know about his final status for the game until hours before kickoff.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk missed last weekend’s win over the Seahawks with a knee injury. He is not listed on the injury report, and therefore he’s expected to play versus Jayden Daniels and crew.
There was also a bit more good news, or at least hopeful news, on the injury front for the 49ers on Saturday. Wide receiver Christian Kirk, who has been out with a calf injury since late July, returned to practice this week, and Shanahan said he could “possibly” be cleared to play versus the Commanders.
As of now, the Niners only have three fully healthy wide receivers on their roster: Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing and Brandin Cooks.
More on the San Francisco 49ers
- Robert Griffin III Names NFL ‘MVP Right Now’ Without Hesitation
- Raheem Morris Sounds Like He May Want To Stay on as the 49ers’ Defensive Coordinator
- Kyle Shanahan Gives Injury Update on Key 49ers Wide Receiver
- One Key Injured 49ers Player Took a Step Toward Returning in Week 6
