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The 49ers were already without wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who was sidelined with a hip injury, and Deebo Samuel, who was expected to be a key contributor but woke up feeling ill. Samuel attempted to play through the illness but couldn't finish the game.
"Throat, stomach things, just real fatigued," head coach Kyle Shanahan said of Samuel's illness. "Struggled to breathe, couldn't catch his breath. That's why he kept trying to fight through it, but once he was struggling with the breathing and everything, we had to shut him down."
Ricky Pearsall's return provided a slight boost, but the absence of the team's top three receivers was keenly felt throughout the game. The good news is that Jennings is expected to return for the Week 8 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
"I'm really hoping to get him back this week," Shanahan said.
The 49ers will likely push forward without its highest-paid wideout, relying on Samuel, Jennings, and now Pearsall to step up in Aiyuk's absence. Aside from a 147-yard performance in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, Aiyuk has struggled to meet the expectations of his new contract this season, failing to score a receiving touchdown.
Quarterback Brock Purdy expressed disappointment over Aiyuk's injury, showing concern for his teammate.
"Obviously, just what B.A. does for our offense and who he is and as a teammate and a brother of ours, it's sad," Purdy acknowledged. "Wishing him nothing but the best and praying for him. That's my guy. When he goes down like that, obviously, we have other guys that can step up and do their job really well."
Purdy added, "We've all just got to come together as a group, collectively, as the receiver unit and all of us. Guys just got to step up and they have. That's the nature of the sport, sadly."
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