49ers wide receiver Mike Evans had to leave Monday night’s game because he aggravated an Achilles injury he was dealing with, but coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that they are optimistic Evans will play Sunday against the Falcons.
Shanahan said Evans is used to dealing with this injury and just has to manage it.
“It’s something he’s had before,” Shanahan said. “It’s something that’s been bothering him all week. So when you have Achilles tendonitis like that, it kind of is what it is. It was on tonight, I hope he recovers all week, but you don’t think it’s a long-term thing. It almost cost him this game and it ended up costing him two quarters, and hopefully he’ll be able to play in the lineup, if he doesn’t, he’ll rest next week. I hope he heals up after the bye week.”
The 49ers were beating the Commanders 20-3 when Evans went down, and when Evans left the game it looked like they were going to win a touchdown. But the Commanders came back and could have taken the lead in the fourth quarter before the 49ers eventually escaped with a 23-17 victory. Shanahan said Evans’ absence hurt in the second half, though he also said there were many more factors that made the game close.
“It’s obviously a big deal when you lose a player like Mike,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan is optimistic he won’t have to play without Evans again on Sunday.
