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nightmare season for the San Francisco 49ers continues. Despite a 6-3 start to the season and being in a good position to make a playoff run, the 49ers have dealt with numerous injuries that have hampered their ability to separate themselves from the rest of the league. Losing key players such as Nick Bosa and Fred Warner to season-ending injuries, the 49ers have needed their backups to step up and while they have managed to still win, their countless injuries are a clear problem.
And on Sunday, despite the 49ers getting the road win over the New York Giants, it did not come without another sacrifice. Rookie edge rusher, Mykel Williams, suffered a lower body injury late in the game and did not return– with head coach Kyle Shanahan saying after the game that the team feared he suffered a torn ACL. And on Monday, Nov. 3, the 49ers’ worst fear was confirmed– Williams did indeed suffer an ACL tear and his rookie season is now over.
Shanahan’s Postgame Comments
Whenever the head coach says that he afraid that a player tore an ACL, it is never a good sign. Injuring himself with four minutes left in the game– well after the game had been decided– when he was trying to pressure Giants‘ quarterback, Jaxson Dart. Getting close to Dart, Williams’ knee buckled and he went down and after he immediately grabbed his knee and pounded his helmet on the ground in frustration, it was clear that something was wrong. After the game, Shanahan tried to provide optimism, but acknowledged that given Williams’ reaction, the injury was probably a serious one.
“He’s just down and you never know,” Shanahan said postgame. “Hopefully, it’s not the worst, but if it is, hey that sucks for this year. But that’s all it sucks for. You’ll be back next year, and this won’t affect you at all.”
Losing Williams in itself is a huge loss for the 49ers, but considering how thin they already were on the defensive line, Williams’ injury could force the 49ers to make another move at the trade deadline so that they can save their season and still make the playoffs. Since Shanahan took over as the head coach in 2017, the 49ers have often been the most injured team in the league and with a lot still at stake this season, figuring out how to proceed will be very important over this next week.
49ers’ Current Injury Situation
Williams’ injury adds to the growing list of injuries along the defensive line. Already down Bosa and placing Yetur Gross-Matos on the injured reserve, the 49ers will play their final eight games without either of their top pass rushers. Add that to the fact that Bryce Huff is currently dealing with an injury of his own, and the 49ers may be forced to take the field in week 10 with a vastly different roster than they envisioned at the start of the season.
But despite the 49ers injury problem and the fact that they may need to dig deep at the trade deadline, the goal remains the same. And while injuries are definitely taking a toll on this team, the 49ers are still confident that they can be a good team– with future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams acknowledging that while injuries are a part of the game, it will not deter the team’s confidence in what they believe they can achieve this season.
“Injuries are a part of the game and everybody deals with it, but we have been bitten particularly hard by the injury bug,” Williams said. “We’ve been able to continue and fight past it. But who knows? You never know when that straw is just enough to break the camel’s back.”
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