The Seattle Seahawks were already without safety Earl Thomas due to a hamstring injury suffered during Week 8 against the Houston Texans. Now, Seattle will be without its top cornerback, Richard Sherman, for the remainder of the year.
Head coach Pete Carroll confirmed that Sherman left Thursday night's 22-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals with a ruptured Achilles tendon, which he suffered while getting tangled up with wide receiver John Brown late in the third quarter.
Following the play, Sherman was seen grabbing at his ankle and then limping on the sideline. In the Seahawks locker room, the star cornerback was forced to use crutches to get around.
The San Francisco 49ers, who have been plagued by injury problems of their own, are preparing to play the New York Giants on Sunday. After that, the team will head into a bye week before hosting the Sherman-less Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on November 26.
That game could feature the return of veteran left tackle Joe Staley, who is recovering from a fractured orbital bone, and possibly the debut of newly acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
The 49ers have a league-high 18 players on injured reserve. Although, that number could drop by one before the 49ers and Seahawks face off. Defensive end Tank Carradine, who started practicing with the team this week, is eligible to be activated off of injured reserve before that game.