The San Francisco 49ers leave MetLife Stadium on Sunday with a costly 31-13 victory over the New York Jets.
Very costly.
The team watched as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (high-ankle sprain), and defensive linemen Nick Bosa (likely an ACL injury) and Solomon Thomas (knee) left the game with injuries. They did not return. Running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman also suffered knee injuries, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
That is quite a price to pay for the win.
Linebacker Fred Warner felt for his teammates but believes the 49ers have the depth to overcome the injuries, if necessary.
"I think this team's built for that," Warner said after the game. "You mention how we've got a lot of depth, and over the years, Kyle and John (Lynch), creating the team that they have, guys are ready to step up. Not only the guys who had to step up today, everybody in the locker room can get better. I've got to look myself in the face, see what I can do better to help the defense, so on and so forth.
"We're excited about getting the win today and getting back to work [this] week."
The worst of the injuries may be Bosa's. He is believed to have suffered an ACL injury during the first quarter. If that turns out to be the case, it would mean an end to his sophomore NFL season.
Offensive tackle Trent Williams was asked what it might mean to be without Bosa for the remainder of the season.
"It's heartbreaking," Williams responded. "Nick is a cornerstone on this team, part of the nucleus. Not only that, he's a shining star on the field. He has a bright future ahead of him, so it sucks. This is a part of the game nobody likes; nobody wants to talk about. Nobody likes to see that thing happen, especially to premiere players like Nick.
"But if anybody can come from this and be better, it will be him. I've got all the faith in the world that he'll be back next year better than ever. The good thing about it, he's been through one of these things before (in high school). He's about as hard a worker as you're going to find, so I know he will overcome adversity and still be that player that we expect him to be."
Shanahan said that Thomas is "a little bit in the same boat as Bosa," but early reports indicate that the injury may not be as severe.
"We'll wait to see," Shanahan added.
Several players at least partially blamed the excessive number of injuries on the playing field at MetLife Stadium. Shanahan said he has mixed emotions about the win.
"I don't know exactly why it happened, but as far as the feeling that was on the sidelines, that's as many knee injuries and ankle stuff and people getting caught on the turf as I've ever been a part of," Shanahan said. "From what I saw, the other team did too.
"I know our players talked about it the entire game, just how sticky the turf was, and I think that was the first time people played on it, I think. But yeah, it was something our guys were concerned about right away, and the results definitely made that a lot stronger.
"Unfortunately, this is a place we got to go back to next week."
Mentioned in this article: Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Trent Williams
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