The San Francisco 49ers came out of Sunday's 38-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs pretty banged up. While every injury is serious, none was more concerning and season-impacting than quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's.
Monday's MRI revealed a torn ACL, which will end the quarterback's season. Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the news.
MRI showed what 49ers feared: Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL and his season is over, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 24, 2018
The 49ers soon confirmed the news.
"The San Francisco 49ers today announced that QB Jimmy Garoppolo underwent an MRI this morning and it has been determined that he has suffered a torn left ACL," the team wrote in a brief statement issued to the media.
Garoppolo, who signed a lucrative five-year deal with the team in March, went down with fewer than six minutes left in the game after scrambling to his left. The quarterback collided with Chiefs cornerback Steven Nelson, but it appears on replays that the injury had already occurred. He immediately grabbed his left knee as he fell to the ground.
Garoppolo was examined by the 49ers medical staff after the play and was later carted to the locker room.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and players seemed to already know how serious the injury was when speaking with reporters after the game.
"We're fearing ACL," Shanahan told the media.
Backup quarterback C.J. Beathard, who will become the team's starter for the remainder of the season, told the media that Garoppolo had already told him to "lead these guys."
Garoppolo was 20-of-30 for 251 yards with two touchdowns before exiting the game. He passed for 718 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions this season.
"Obviously, I feel for him, personally," Shanahan said of Garoppolo. "I know how disappointed he is. I haven't had a chance to see him yet, but I feel for him."
The 49ers move forward without their franchise quarterback.
"This is part of the NFL," Shanahan said. "We're not the first team this has happened to, so next guy up."
While the Garoppolo injury is devastating for the 49ers' high hopes this season, Shanahan expressed confidence in Beathard moving forward.
"I've got a lot of confidence in C.J.," Shanahan said. "He got a lot of playing time last year, led us to our first win last year, came today, made a hell of a throw on that fourth down (which was called back because of a questionable penalty), no hesitation. C.J.'s a gamer. Everyone in here has a ton of respect for C.J., how he handles himself. He's a man out there, and he's a very good quarterback. We're fortunate to have him."
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