The Arizona Cardinals offense suffered a significant loss at the start of the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers as running back James Conner was carted off the field with what looked to be a devastating ankle injury.
As the Cardinals looked to pick up a first down on a second and short play, Kyler Murray handed the ball off to Conner who was quickly swallowed up by the San Francisco line. The 49er went for Conner’s legs, right as he was twisting to avoid the tackle, but he was wrapped up and got his right ankle caught in the fray as it bent in a direction that ankles aren’t supposed to go.
Conner was carted off the field and will not return to the game.
Before his injury, Conner was limited to 22 yards on nine carries in a very defensive game. He picked up 15 yards on three catches in the pass game.
Conner Carted Off Field After Ugly Ankle Twist
Conner’s injury was a mutilation of his right leg. Although the report from the Cardinals was that it was an ankle injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if he injured his knee and/or quad as well. The ankle was the key component of the twist, but his right knee seemed to lock in place as he hit the ground.
The injury looks to be on par with a high-ankle sprain, where the ligaments connecting the tibia and fibula are torn or stretched.
Depending on the severity of the injury, the Cardinals could be without Conner for quite some time. Grade III sprains, the most severe, usually see the injured player out for six weeks at a minimum, but often times even longer. The video certainly shows an injury that could very well be serious enough that it is ruled a grade III.
Conner and the Cardinals are just hoping that his leg didn’t sustain serious internal damage, though it looks likely based on how much pain Conner was immediately in.
Cardinals Falter in Final Minutes, Lose to 49ers
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones led his team down the field in a perfectly executed two-minute drill in the final moments of the fourth quarter. He got the team down to the 20 yard line as kicker Eddy Pineiro sealed the deal with a walk-off field goal to give the 49ers a 16-15 win as they advance to 3-0 while the Cardinals drop to 2-1 on the season.
After Conner’s exit, Trey Benson came in to take the bulk of snaps at RB in his absence. Benson picked up 42 yards on 10 carries.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals offense, it was just never able to fully grab momentum, as Murray was held to 159 passing yards and no wide receiver had more than 44 yards.
Cardinals RB James Conner Carted Off After Brutal Injury vs. 49ers