The San Francisco 49ers have Week 14 off, but they got some awful news regarding guard Ben Bartch.
Bartch will go on injured reserve and miss the remainder of the regular season with a foot sprain, according to coach Kyle Shanahan.
Bartch has played six games and started each of San Francisco’s first two. But this will also be his second trip to injured reserve, since Bartch missed time with a high-ankle sprain, which he sustained in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.
The Niners (9-4) will have their bye before they host the lowly Tennessee Titans (1-11) on Dec. 16 at Levi’s Stadium.
Ben Bartch’s Absence Will Be Felt
The Niners have operated with a next-man-up mentality all season amid a slew of injuries — to quarterback Brock Purdy, linebacker Fred Warner, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings among others.
But as the team’s starting left guard, Bartch has an integral role in protecting Purdy’s blindside and opening holes for Christian McCaffrey. The Niners are 5-1 in games Bartch plays, with just six sacks allowed and just two in the past four games.
Conversely, San Francisco is 4-3 in the seven games without Bartch and surrendered 14 sacks — an even two per game — when he is not playing alongside future Hall of Famer Trent Williams.
Bartch and Williams helped keep shoo-in NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett to just one sack in San Francisco’s 26-8 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in Cleveland. Garrett, of course, leads the NFL with 19 sacks and had 14 in the Browns’ previous five games.
Though he had not taken enough snaps this season to be ranked among the qualifying guards, Bartch had earned a 71.7 overall grade this season, with a 65.4 pass-blocking grade and 69.7 run-blocking mark this season.
Bartch’s replacement, Spencer Burford, has just a 53.9 overall grade from PFF this year, though Shanahan offered high praise for the 2022 fourth-round pick.
âI think each week heâs gotten better and better,â Shanahan said. âItâs his first time playing on the left side, and I think heâs playing at a very good level, and I think heâll only improve as the year goes.â
The 49ers’ Bye Is Coming At The Perfect Time
Fans might have said their bye was too late, since there are only four games remaining in the regular season after their Week 14 off date. But since San Francisco has largely weathered its early-season injury storm and sits a half-game back of the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West.
But Bartch isn’t the only concerning injury to the 49ers’ offense. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk has fractured ribs, which caused him to leave the game in Cleveland early and would likely cause him to miss a Week 14 game if the 49ers had one.
The 49ers have about a 91 percent chance of making the postseason, according to The Athletic. So the week off will give them time to refresh and get as healthy as possible for the stretch drive — especially with three home games and games against three teams that are currently in the 14-team playoff field.
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