Tom Brady was left wincing after watching the replay of the injury Brandon Aiyuk sustained against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi’s Stadium.
In the second quarter, San Francisco 49ers star quarterback Brock Purdy targeted Aiyuk, with the star receiver hauling in the pass for his second catch of the day. After catching the ball, Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie began to tackle Aiyuk to limit the damage.
As McDuffie was bringing down Aiyuk, defensive back Chamarri Conner helped McDuffie to take down the 49ers star. However, Conner appeared to hit Aiyuk’s right knee, causing it to buckle and the receiver to drop to the grass in serious pain.
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Upon seeing the play, all Brady could do was audibly wince seeing Aiyuk’s leg bend in a way that it is not supposed to. After the collision, Aiyuk was spotted walking to the blue medical tent to be examined by the team’s medical staff to determine the severity of the injury.
Shortly after walking to the tent, Aiyuk was then carted off to the locker room, with the 49ers announcing soon thereafter that the 26-year-old was ruled for the rest of the game with a knee injury. It was also reported that as Aiuyuk was being carted off the field, he pointed to his knee, further indicating that he injured his right knee.
After the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters the team believes and is “worried” that Aiyuk might have torn his ACL in the play. If that is the case, the star receiver will surely miss the rest of the season and part of next season, depending on the severity of the injury.
Brandon Aiyuk took a nasty hit against the Kansas City Chiefs, ruling him out for the rest of the game (
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Of note, fellow star receiver Deebo Samuel initially started the game alongside Aiyuk. However, he, too, was ruled out for the rest of the game with an illness, further depleting the 49ers’ receiving corps, as Jauan Jennings was inactive after suffering a hip injury the previous week.
After holding out for a new contract, Aiyuk’s play before his injury left much to be desired, especially after signing a four-year, $120 million contract extension. Last season, Aiyuk recorded over 1,300 receiving yards with 75 receptions and seven touchdowns as the 49ers reached Super Bowl LVIII.
Through seven games this season, Aiyuk has recorded 351 receiving yards on 23 catches with zero touchdowns, seemingly a byproduct of his holdout. As the 49ers continue to await Aiyuk’s status, he now joins Christian McCaffrey on the sideline, with the star running back out with a variety of injuries.
With the 49ers battered, rookie Ricky Pearsall is positioned to be San Francisco’s next man up. It remains to be seen how Pearsall will perform, however, as the rookie missed the start of the season after being shot in a robbery attempt.
As the 49ers continue to struggle with injuries, Shanahan will have to be creative with his roster if San Francisco wants to keep its chances of returning to the Super Bowl alive. The display against the Chiefs showed just how vulnerable the 49ers were without their top offensive weapons.
In the 28-18 loss, Purdy was hammered by a stingy Chiefs defense. The 24-year-old completed 17-of-31 pass attempts for 212 yards to go along with three interceptions. Purdy did most of his damage on the ground, scoring two rushing touchdowns as he attempted to keep San Francisco from being blown out.
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