CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The San Francisco 49ers have develop into all too familiar with the oddly particular state of affairs they discovered themselves in as they departed Charlotte on Sunday evening.
The Niners had simply dispatched the Panthers 37-15 to get to 3-2 however headed to the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, for every week of observe with combined feelings. That’s as a result of that they had simply watched 4 key avid gamers limp clear of the Bank of America Stadium synthetic turf with myriad accidents.
Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, defensive finish Nick Bosa, kicker Robbie Gould and unfastened protection Jimmie Ward departed Sunday’s win with accidents and didn’t go back to the sport.
Most urgent on that record is Moseley’s left knee damage, which the Niners worry features a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Moseley, who suffered the damage within the fourth quarter, may have additional checking out to verify that damage on Monday, in keeping with trainer Kyle Shanahan.
The Niners had been extra constructive in regards to the accidents to Bosa, Gould and Ward.
Bosa performed the primary part sooner than a good groin avoided him from beginning the second one part. He used to be dominated out in the beginning of the 3rd quarter with Shanahan announcing that he, too, will most probably have additional checking out accomplished Monday to decide the severity of the damage.
“He started feeling it, it was a little tight all day,” Shanahan stated. “In the second quarter, you could see him coming off the field. We looked into it at halftime — he didn’t feel like he could go.”
Ward, whom the Niners activated from injured reserve on Saturday after he ignored the primary 4 video games on account of a hamstring damage, lasted just one play sooner than departing with what Shanahan stated is a damaged left hand.
Gould suffered a left knee damage within the 3rd quarter as he tried to take on Panthers kick returner Raheem Blackshear. Gould used to be strolling OK within the locker room after the sport, and Shanahan stated he believes it is a bruised knee on Gould’s non-kicking leg. With Gould out, punter Mitch Wishnowsky took over because the kicker, with fullback Kyle Juszczyk entering into Wishnowsky’s function because the holder.
The quartet of accidents used to be the newest in a string of dangerous damage success for the Niners this season and the 3rd immediately 12 months they’ve handled a rash of accidents within the entrance finish of back-to-back video games sooner than a go back and forth to West Virginia.
“That definitely took away from a little bit of the excitement at the end, but we know the deal,” Shanahan stated. “It’s part of this league and everybody goes through it, and that was a tough one today. I love how we get to go to Greenbrier; I love how our guys get to stay together. It’s a lot easier to focus when you do that, and hopefully we’ll get some better news on some of these guys.”
In 2020, the Niners spent Weeks 2 and three again east with video games in opposition to the New York Jets and Giants in New York surrounding a keep on the Greenbrier. In a 31-13 win in opposition to the Jets, the Niners misplaced Bosa and defensive take on Solomon Thomas to torn ACLs and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and working again Raheem Mostert to a sprained ankle and knee, respectively. Even the MRI device that used to be despatched to do checking out on the ones avid gamers broke down on the right way to the Greenbrier.
In 2021, the Niners beat the Detroit Lions in Week 1 sooner than heading to the Greenbrier however misplaced cornerback Jason Verrett and Mostert to season-ending knee accidents and linebacker Dre Greenlaw to a groin damage that saved him out for many of the season.
While the spate of accidents sooner than a go back and forth to the Greenbrier may also be chalked up as coincidental, there’s one not unusual denominator in all 3 of the ones video games that cannot be discounted, in keeping with tight finish George Kittle: the enjoying floor.
Stadiums in New York, Detroit and Carolina all characteristic synthetic enjoying surfaces.
“The thing that just confuses me is, if you’re not gonna mandate grass, then why aren’t all turf fields the exact same turf so guys get used to playing on the same turf everywhere?” stated Kittle, who has been adamant in regards to the league mandating for grass fields in recent times. “But every field has a different turf, so it’s just like you’re playing on a different surface. NBA guys don’t play on different wood. Hockey guys don’t play on different ices all the time. It’s ice. So, I just wish we played on a surface that was similar week in and week out so your body would just be dealing with different crappy turf.”
It’s tricky to decide how a lot the outside performed into the ones accidents, however the Niners have a rising record of accidents suffered at the synthetic sort, and Moseley’s damage, particularly, raised some eyebrows amongst teammates within the locker room Sunday.
“I thought it was an OK turf, but turf is turf,” Kittle stated. “I’d much rather play on grass. That’s why I love [Niners CEO] Jed York. We have the nicest grass in the NFL [at Levi’s Stadium]. Week in and week out, our practice fields have the nicest grass field and we have the nicest game field.”
If, as anticipated, Moseley misses a longer duration, the Niners must flip to one in every of a gaggle that comes with Deommodore Lenoir, Ambry Thomas or Samuel Womack III to step into his function.
One different chance is Verrett. He opened his observe window to go back from the bodily not able to accomplish record remaining week, and regardless that it would nonetheless be a little sooner than he can tackle this sort of giant function, he is nearing a go back from that 2021 damage.
In the period in-between, the Niners had been already lamenting the lack of Moseley, who had emerged as some of the higher corners within the league throughout the first four-plus weeks and appeared poised to money in as an unrestricted unfastened agent within the offseason.
Moseley had an interception go back for a landing and two move breakups sooner than his damage.
“It’s bittersweet,” cornerback Charvarius Ward stated. “I just hope he’s all right. I just hope he’s good. I pray he’s all right.”