The biggest concern coming out of the San Francisco 49ers' Monday night win over the Washington Commanders is wide receiver Mike Evans, who exited the game in the first half with an Achilles injury after dealing with soreness all week. The 49ers ruled him out for the remainder of the game.
After the 23-17 win, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters and updated them on Evans' injury. He confirmed that the veteran receiver is dealing with Achilles tendinitis but remains hopeful he will be available for next Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.
"Just the same thing that was bothering him all week," Shanahan said. "It acted up too much in the game; couldn't go. We'll see how he feels this week."
Shanahan added that he doesn't believe Evans will need further testing. The receiver was listed as questionable heading into Monday night's matchup, and the coach acknowledged that his availability was uncertain.
"It was a pretty close call in terms of that he wasn't able to go all week," Shanahan said. "But just talking to Mike, just something he's dealt with in the past in his career, and he felt confident he'd be good today, so that was the confidence he gave me, but we knew he might not be able to last."
How concerned are the 49ers about Evans' injury?
Shanahan said Evans has dealt with this before and hopes the receiver will recover in time for the next game.
"It's something that he's had before," Shanahan said. "It's something that bothered him throughout the week. So, when you have Achilles tendonitis like he does, it kind of is what it is. It flared up tonight, and I hope he recovers throughout the week, but you don't think it's a long-term thing.
"But right now, it almost cost him this game and ended up costing him two quarters. Hopefully, he'll be able to play next week, but if not, we'll have to have the rest of the group step up, and hopefully, get him healed up by after the bye week."
When asked whether Evans would ultimately determine if he could play, Shanahan expressed confidence in the receiver's judgment.
"Yeah," Shanahan said. "I mean, if he can play, Mike's got a lot of experience on doing this stuff. Mike's pretty honest with us, too, and my life experience is with him over six games. If he says he's ready to go, I believe him."
Could the 49ers add wide receiver help this week?
Shanahan didn't dismiss adding wide receiver help this week, but acknowledged the challenges.
"It's tough, especially on a short week," Shanahan said. "That's what you've got practice squad guys for, and we were able to get one up today. We'll see how our guys heal up. I'd be surprised if we got Deebo [Samuel] or [Demarcus Robinson] back—they're most likely after the bye week.
"We've got enough guys in our building, so we'll put a plan together and see how it goes."
Other 49ers injury updates
Evans wasn't the only 49ers player to leave Monday night's game with an injury. Linebacker Luke Gifford suffered a groin injury, while cornerback Upton Stout exited with a shoulder injury. Neither player returned to the game.
Shanahan also discussed not activating wide receiver Christian Kirk for the Week 6 matchup, explaining how close the veteran came to making his San Francisco debut and whether he could play next week.
Kirk is working his way back from a calf injury and has yet to appear in a game for the 49ers.
"Yeah, he's a possibility for next week," Shanahan said. "He had two good practices in. It was just his first two practices of the year. We were down on wideouts, so it's still something we discussed, but we decided to give him another week."
Shanahan also provided an update on wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who has been sidelined since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2. Although Robinson is making progress, Shanahan doesn't expect him to return for Sunday's game against the Falcons.
"I don't think he'll be ready this week," Shanahan said.
More info on: Mike Evans, Luke Gifford, Christian Kirk, Demarcus Robinson, Deebo Samuel, Upton Stout
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