Brandon Aiyuk suffered what looks to be a torn ACL in the San Francisco 49ers’ latest loss. (Photo … [+] by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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The last time star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers took on the Kansas City Chiefs, it did not go swimmingly.
San Francisco fell to Kansas City in February’s Super Bowl, losing in overtime by the score of 25-22. For his part, Aiyuk caught a mere three passes for 49 yards in the loss.
No one in San Francisco was ready to call Sunday’s home date with these very same Chiefs a revenge game. It’s impossible to look at a regular-season game under that guise.
But the 49ers needed to prove their worth among the NFL’s best. They headed into Sunday’s game with a mediocre 3-3 record. Injuries and inconsistency have been the name of the game in Santa Clara. Both popped up again in an ugly 28-18 loss inside Levi’s Stadium.
Aiyuk suffered a serious knee injury after catching a ball between two Chiefs defenders late in the first half. He was immediately taken to the medical tent on the sideline before being carted off to the locker room.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan pretty much confirmed what was feared after replays of the injury were aired. The 49ers’ head coach told reporters after Sunday’s game that it’s their initial belief Aiyuk suffered what would be a season-ending torn ACL. An MRI on Monday will ultimately confirm this diagnosis.
This comes mere months after the 49ers inked Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million extension following a drawn out contract stalemate between the two sides. It also comes after Aiyuk struggled a bit early in the season.
Needless to say, this is an absolutely major blow for a 49ers team that is now 3-4 on the season and could see things spiral moving forward.
Prior to the game, it was also reported that fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel was ill. He did take part in pre-game warm ups and attempted to give it a go. But Samuel was ruled out after taking part in less than a handful of plays.
These were big backdrops as the 49ers put up yet another questionable performance in a season that has been riddled with them.
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers Struggle Again In Loss To Chiefs
Brock Purdy put up one of the worst performances of his career Sunday against the Chiefs. (Photo by … [+] Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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It was last Christmas that Purdy put up the worst performance of his young career in a mistake-filled home loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The former seventh-round pick threw zero touchdowns compared to four interceptions in the 33-19 loss.
This game reminded me of that poor outing. From pretty much the get, Purdy was uncomfortable in the pocket. He struggled progressing through reads. He was errant on several passes.
Sure, it did not help that Aiyuk, Samuel and star running back Christian McCaffrey were sidelined. The same thing could be said for underrated wide receiver Jauan Jennings. But there is no room in today’s NFL for making excuses.
In the end, Purdy completed 17-of-31 passes for 212 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions.
Two of Purdy’s interceptions were clearly on the quarterback. The other pick included a miscommunication between Purdy and embattled young wide receiver Ronnie Bell.
This was an absolute killer. The 49ers were in position to take the lead. Instead, Kansas City got the ball back. It would go on to drive 79 yards down the field for a touchdown and a two-score lead.
On San Francisco’s next possession, Purdy led the team down the field 65 yards before he was picked off in the end zone. Kansas City scored another touchdown on its next possession, pretty much putting this game on ice.
Purdy took responsibility for his performance playing a role in the 49ers’ latest loss. “I gotta play better. It’s simple,” Purdy told reporters.
That certainly is an understatement. It’s also been par for the course at times for the third-year quarterback this season.
It was not all on Purdy. The 49ers’ defense missed multiple tackles in the open field. That included Patrick Mahomes putting up a career-high 33-yard run with San Francisco attempting to gain momentum. It came on a huge third down in the second half.
The 49ers’ pass rush was pretty much non-existent after getting to Mahomes for two early sacks. That enabled the reigning Super Bowl MVP to make some absolutely amazing plays out of nothing. It’s been an all-too common theme for Mahomes against these 49ers.
Where Do The 49ers Go From Here?
Kyle Shanahan’s performance as the 49ers’ head coach is being called into question. (Photo by … [+] Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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At 3-4 on the season, San Francisco finds itself one game behind the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. Its chief rival in the division put up a stellar performance on the road against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Prior to what will be a timely Week 9 bye, San Francisco must host the Dallas Cowboys this coming Sunday. We’re sure that Dak Prescott and Co. are going to be ready to play in that one after their struggles against San Francisco in recent seasons.
It does not get any easier after the bye. That includes a brutal five-game stretch against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, aforementioned Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and upstart Chicago Bears.
Things could really spiral for the 49ers moving forward. For many, it is similar to San Francisco’s injury-plagued 2020 campaign in which the team won six games with the COVID-19 pandemic as a backdrop. The onus is going to be on Shanahan to get his guys ready to play next week. A loss would have this team at 3-5 heading into the bye.
Brandon Aiyuk Injury And What It Means
Assuming Monday’s MRI confirms a torn ACL, Aiyuk will be lost for the remainder of the season. San Francisco’s wide receiver situation was already questionable prior to Sunday’s unfortunate events. Primarily, a lack of depth.
With Aiyuk, Samuel and Jennings all sidelined on Sunday, Purdy had to rely on youngsters. Rookie first-round pick Ricky Pearsall made his debut against the Chiefs after being the victim of a shooting this past August. He caught 3-of-5 targets for 21 yards. Fellow rookie Jacob Cowing put up the 49ers’ biggest play of the day. It came via a 41-yard pass from Purdy.
49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall will be called on to step up following Brandon Aiyuk’s injury. (Photo by … [+] Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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The 49ers will obviously be relying on these two moving forward. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if general manager John Lynch picked up the phone in an attempt to acquire a receiver ahead of the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline. However, a lot of that will depend on where the 49ers are in the standings.
For now, there is no quick fix. The same thing can be said for the 49ers as a whole following their latest lackluster effort against Kansas City.
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