When it rains, it pours, and the San Francisco 49ers are without an umbrella.
After losing starting defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas in the first half, the 49ers started the second half of their Week 2 matchup with the New York Jets without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo or running back Raheem Mostert.
The pair helped San Francisco to a dominant first half, with Mostert taking the 49ers’ first offensive play 80 yards for a huge score and Garoppolo connecting with Jordan Reed twice to put the 49ers up 21-3 by the break.
However, Garoppolo was playing through the obvious injury, limping around despite completing 14 of 16 passes and continuing to play well.
According to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, Mostert’s injury is located in his knee, which is where Bosa and Thomas were injured as well.
Both Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) and Raheem Mostert (knee) have been ruled OUT.
For Garoppolo, the injury came on a sack as the quarterback was hit in his ankle on a sack early on in the game.
The quarterback played impressively well through the injury, but the team elected to put in backup Nick Mullens to start the second half.
After the game 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that the early view of the quarterback’s status is a high-ankle sprain.
The preliminary diagnosis for Jimmy Garoppolo: A high-ankle sprain. That can be a 4-6-week injury depending on the severity.
Even in a best case scenario, it already seems like Garoppolo will be out for next week against the New York Giants, as well as their Week 4 home matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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The Bad News
Does it even need to be said? After injuries all across the roster in the preseason and offseason, the 49ers have somehow dealt with even worse injury luck in the first two weeks, with tight end George Kittle going down last week against the Arizona Cardinals and with four major injuries this week.
If it wasn’t already an injury crisis, it is now. The team’s top receiver, tight end, running back and quarterback are now out for undetermined amounts of time, which is a truly nightmarish scenario.
This is not to mention the defensive side of the ball that is missing Sherman along with Bosa and Thomas, meaning that the 49ers have lost at least seven starters over the past two games.
While the team does boast some of the best depth in the NFL, impact plays are generally made by established stars, which the 49ers are running out of a concerningly fast rate.
The Good News
Until we know the full extent of Garoppolo and Mostert’s injuries, there’s a small space for optimism.
Being up 21-3 on a pretty bad Jets team at the half might have pushed the 49ers to see out the game without the offensive duo of Garoppolo and Mostert, rather than keep them in and risk the chance of worse injury or aggravation.
Considering that Jimmy G played most of the half after the injury, it’s possible that he could be fine sooner rather than later, but Mostert’s injury seemingly came late in the first half which saw the running back head into the locker room before the finish of the second quarter.
Compared to two carts having to be taken out for Bosa and Thomas, it’s certainly better from an optics perspective, but until the official news from the team, it’s hard to really tell what the extent of the injuries will be.
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Evan Reier is a sportswriter covering the San Francisco 49ers for Heavy.com and local sports for the Montana Standard in Butte, Mont. Reach out to him on Twitter at @evanreier and join our 49ers community at Heavy on 49ers on Facebook.
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49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo Expected to Miss Weeks After Injury