Mike Evans unable to finish 49ers' win, exits with Achilles soreness
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Before playing in and then departing Monday night's win against the Washington Commanders because of a sore right Achilles, San Francisco 49ers receiver Mike Evans let coach Kyle Shanahan know that even though he didn't practice all week, he was ready to play in the game.
That, apparently, gave Shanahan enough belief to allow Evans to suit up against the Commanders, albeit with one important caveat.
"It was a pretty close call in terms of that he wasn't able to go all week, but just talking to Mike, just something he has dealt with in the past in his career and he felt confident to be good today," Shanahan said. "That was the confidence he gave me, but we knew he might not be able to last."
Indeed, Evans was unable to make it through the game, leaving with what Shanahan described after the 23-17 win as the "same thing that was bothering him all week." Which is to say, a continued version of the Achilles soreness that prevented Evans from practicing Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
Asked whether Evans would need further testing or imaging on the Achilles, Shanahan said "I don't believe so" while noting that Evans has been dealing with Achilles tendonitis.
The question now becomes whether Evans will be available for Sunday's matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, which is the Niners' last game before their Week 8 bye.
"It's something that he's had before," Shanahan said. "It's something that bothered him throughout the week. When you have Achilles tendinitis like he does, it kind of is what it is. ... I hope he recovers throughout the week, but you don't think it's a long-term thing, but right now it ended up costing him two quarters and 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 get him healed up by after the bye week."
Evans sustained the injury with 1:10 left in the second quarter and the 49ers holding a 13-3 lead. On second-and-15 at Washington's 28, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy threw to Evans breaking inside for a gain of 16 yards.
After Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves touched him down, Evans stayed down on the field and began attempting to stretch his right leg. Niners medical personnel then ran to help up Evans, offering support as he slowly walked directly back to the locker room.
The 49ers initially said Evans was questionable to return but ruled him out early in the third quarter. Evans had three catches for 94 yards before exiting, and the Niners' offense had 303 yards and 20 points at halftime.
With San Francisco without Evans in the second half, Washington mounted a big comeback. San Francisco had three consecutive three-and-outs in the fourth quarter and managed only three points and 72 yards after halftime as Washington dialed up blitzes and dared the Niners' other wideouts to beat them.
Without Evans, the only Niners receivers available were Jordan Watkins, Brandin Cooks, Jacob Cowing and Malik Turner. That group combined for two catches and 35 yards against Washington.
"Obviously, he's one of our best playmakers," Purdy said. "You want to get the ball to him as much as you can, and what he brings to the table with making plays and sort of what defenses have to do to respect him. ... It sucks having him go down, but I still believe in the guys that had to step up and make plays for us."
San Francisco entered Monday night without wideouts Ricky Pearsall (knee),De'Zhaun Stribling(ankle), Demarcus Robinson (ankle), Deebo Samuel Sr. (hamstring) and Christian Kirk (calf). Some of them could be back soon, though maybe not in time for Sunday in Atlanta.
Kirk is probably the closest to returning after the Niners opened his 21-day practice window to come back from injured reserve last week. Shanahan said Kirk is "a possibility" to play against the Falcons.
Robinson could also open his practice window as he recovers from a high ankle sprain, but Shanahan said he doesn't think Robinson would be ready to go against Atlanta with him and Samuel more likely to return after the bye.
All of that attrition would seem to set the stage for a trade, though Shanahan indicated the team might stick with what it has for another week and then see where things stand after the bye.
"It's tough, especially also on a short week," Shanahan said. "It's what you got practice squad guys for. ... We'll see how our guys heal up. ... We've got enough guys in our building, so we'll put a plan together and see how it goes."
