Among the several notable players who fell victim to injuries during Sunday’s games, San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Mike Evans was one of the most concerning cases. During Sunday’s Week 3 game against the Arizona Cardinals, Evans was carted off the field in the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
However, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan did not have a definitive update on the severity of Evans’ injury, other than confirming that the receiver was dealing with an issue involving his ribs or oblique.
“We don’t know yet. We couldn’t tell if it was a broken rib; we couldn’t tell if it was an oblique, so it’s something we’ll find out probably more tomorrow,” Shanahan said.
Evans was shaken up after taking a heavy hit over the middle from Cardinals safety Budda Baker. He was later seen holding his side and appearing to have difficulty breathing on the sideline. After being taken off the field on a cart, Evans was officially ruled out by the 49ers at halftime.
Despite losing Evans, San Francisco managed to come away with a 36-30 win over Arizona and improved to 3-0 on the season. However, Evans’ injury added another concern to an otherwise successful afternoon for the 49ers.
Evans has been productive during his first season in San Francisco. Through his opening three games with the team, the veteran receiver has recorded 12 receptions for 137 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Evans joined San Francisco in free agency this past offseason after spending 11 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His latest injury adds to an already depleted 49ers wide receiver room, which is currently without Demarcus Robinson, Ricky Pearsall, and De'Zhaun Stribling.