The San Francisco 49ers had to finish their 23-17 "Monday Night Football" win over the Washington Commanders without their top receiver, as Mike Evans left the game just ahead of halftime with an Achilles tendon injury. While the 49ers held onto their lead and closed out the victory without him, Evans' absence was noticeable as the offense scored just three points in the final two quarters. Fortunately for San Francisco, Evans may not miss much additional time.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that Evans experienced a flare-up of the Achilles tendinitis that bothered him throughout the week and that he will not undergo further testing. "It's something that he's had before, something that bothered him throughout the week," Shanahan said. "When you have Achilles tendinitis like he does, it kind of is what it is.
It flared up tonight, and I hope he recovers throughout the week. You don't think it's a long-term thing, but right now it almost cost him this game and ended up costing him two quarters. "Hopefully he'll be able to play next week, but if not, we'll have to have the rest of the group step up, and hopefully we can get him healed up by after the bye week." It was a close call on whether Evans would suit up in Week 6 in the first place.
He did not practice leading up to the game, and Shanahan noted that even though he declared himself healthy enough to play, there was always a chance that Evans would not be able to remain on the field for all four quarters. Evans was seen during the game stretching his Achilles tendon. The flare-up occurred thereafter when he made a catch late in the second quarter.
He immediately went into the locker room, and television broadcast cameras captured him grabbing at his Achilles in the tunnel. The undefeated 49ers hit the road in Week 7 for a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons and will be idle the following week. They return from their bye in Week 9 for a home date with the Las Vegas Raiders.
If the tendinitis forces Evans to miss Sunday's game in Atlanta, the 49ers and their top-three scoring offense could have a difficult time moving the ball. The contrast in production with Evans in and out of the lineup against the Commanders was stark. He caught three passes for a game-high 94 yards in the first half as San Francisco rolled to a 20-3 lead, but the team managed just three points in the second half and nearly blew the three-score advantage.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
