San Francisco 49ers receiver Mike Evans is questionable for Week 4's game against the Denver Broncos, but he made it clear Friday that he intends to try to play.
Evans spoke publicly for the first time since suffering the injury in the first half of last week's win over the Arizona Cardinals. He said the pain was severe and that he can't say for sure when it happened. On the play where he left the game, he was running a route, turned and felt like "somebody's standing on my chest."
"Training staff and doctors did a good job of getting me off the field and making sure I was good," Evans said.
Here’s Mike Evans on his rib injury. Asked to describe the pain he felt on Sunday: “That shit hurt bad. … Felt like somebody stabbed me in the chest.” On if
he expects to play through it: “[I’ll] do my best.” pic.twitter.com/pMmlXx6mnD
— Harrison Rich (@harrisonrich_) October 2, 2026
Evans went to the ground, slowly made his way to the sideline and then went to the locker room on a cart. The only earlier moment he could point to was a big hit from Cardinals safety Budda Baker on his first target. Evans said that hit left his head ringing, though, not his chest or ribs.
He missed practice Wednesday and Thursday before being limited Friday. Coach Kyle Shanahan said Evans will be a game-time decision.
Evans sounded like someone pushing to be out there. Asked why availability matters so much to him, he pointed to his role. "It's my job," he said, via ESPN. "I take pride in trying to suit up every chance I get. If the injury isn't unbearable and you can't play through it, then I won't play. But if there's something I can play through, I'm going to be there for my team as best I can."
He has been here before. Evans had a rib injury in November 2022 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was limited in practice and still played, catching five passes for 54 yards in a 21-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks. He said the key is padding around the rib and a longer warm-up. "It was brutal to play through," he said. "But it's something that I can do."
Don't expect a flak jacket, though. Evans said it "looks kind of weak," but he hopes to wear a compression shirt with built-in padding.
General manager John Lynch called Evans "old school" on KNBR. "Mike's going to make every attempt to try to play, and we'll see where that goes," Lynch said.
In his first season with San Francisco, Evans has 12 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Mike Evans explains rib injury, why he wants to play vs. Broncos
