Brandon Aiyuk suffered a potential right ACL tear during the San Francisco 49ers’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, as reported by head coach Kyle Shanahan. Aiyuk was injured late in the second quarter of the game, which ended with a score of 28-18 in favor of the Chiefs.
The injury occurred with only 48 seconds remaining in the first half when 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy connected with Aiyuk for a 15-yard gain. Aiyuk was tackled by Chiefs defenders Chamarri Conner and Trent McDuffie, resulting in a low hit that compromised his knee. Medical staff attended to Aiyuk on the field, and after some time, he was able to walk off but was soon taken to the locker room, where he was ruled out for the remainder of the game when the third quarter began.
This injury to Aiyuk adds to the 49ers’ challenges, as fellow receiver Deebo Samuel was already experiencing illness before the game. Despite his slow movements during warmups, Samuel participated in the coin toss but did not contribute with any receptions or rushing attempts before also being ruled out.
Prior to this game, San Francisco was missing another key receiver, Jauan Jennings, who suffered a hip injury in the previous week’s match against the Seattle Seahawks. With their top three receivers sidelined, the 49ers were left to rely on veterans Chris Conley and Ronnie Bell, along with rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing. Notably, Pearsall was making his regular-season debut just 50 days after being shot in the chest during an attempted robbery.