SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers receiver Mike Evans left the game Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half with injuries to his ribs and oblique and didn't return.
Evans was slow to get up after getting hit by Budda Baker on an incomplete pass late in the second quarter. He went to the injury tent briefly before being taken off the field on a cart. He was ruled out of the game at halftime and might miss some time.
Coach
Kyle Shanahan said after the 49ers' 36-30 win that he wasn't sure if Evans broke any ribs or how much time he would miss. Evans is the fourth key receiver to go down already this season for the Niners, but Shanahan said he wasn't thinking about that after Evans left the game.
“You’re just thinking about how to adjust,” Shanahan said. “When you lose guys, especially guys like Mike and stuff, it changes stuff on your call sheet, changes wristbands, things like that. You don’t have time to think about anything else. When guys go down, you hope they return. But you adjust and you wait till they tell you they’re back and if they don’t, you keep it moving.”
The 49ers also lost 12-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams in the second half when he was taken to the locker room on a cart with a stinger. Williams returned to the sideline later in the second half but didn't get back in the game with Vederian Lowe finishing in his place. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw also left with a quadriceps injury.
Shanahan had no update on the extent of those injuries.
Evans' injury is the latest to hit San Francisco's depleted receiver core. Ricky Pearsall had season-ending knee surgery early in training camp, rookie De'Zhaun Stibling had surgery on his ankle after getting hurt in the opener and is expected to miss about two months and Demarcus Robinson went on injured reserve Saturday with a high ankle sprain.
Brock Purdy overcame those injuries and threw four TD passes in the win.
“Obviously, when I see my guys go down, it sucks watching both offense and defense,” Purdy said. “But I think as a young player, I’ve gotten caught up in, ‘All right, now this is going to affect my play and this and that.’ I think, as I’ve grown, it’s like all I can do is control what I can control, go through my reads, be prepared for what the defense is gonna do and how I can react and leave it at that.”
Evans left last week's win against Miami late with a hip injury. He missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday before returning on a limited basis Friday.
He looked good early against the Cardinals, catching a short pass on the opening drive that he flipped to Deebo Samuel for an 82-yard score on a hook-and-ladder play. He then caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Purdy on the second drive.
The 33-year-old Evans had three catches for 34 yards in the game and has 12 catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns in his first season for the 49ers.
Evans is a six-time Pro Bowler and had at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first 11 seasons with Tampa Bay
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