Mike Evans was not expected to play this week. He suited up anyway. The San Francisco 49ers receiver played through a painful rib injury in a 24-14 win over the Denver Broncos.
Evans Beats the Odds for the 49ers
Evans hurt his ribs in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals. Many assumed he would miss multiple games. He sat out practice Wednesday and Thursday. He was limited Friday and worked out on a side field. Asked about Sunday, he said only that he would “do my best.”
He did far more. Evans caught five passes on eight targets for 76 yards. He admitted the injury “hurt bad,” per Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Shanahan Didn’t Expect Evans to Play
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said he wasn’t counting on Evans being available. “I didn’t think it was possible for him to play throughout the whole week, so in my mind I wasn’t counting on it,” Shanahan said. “But, he kept talking a certain way, so eventually I started to listen.”
Shanahan said Evans was not on a pitch count. The staff did try to limit how many hits he would take. What stood out most was how Evans carried himself in Friday’s walk-through. “He never grimaced, never changed his stride or anything,” Shanahan said. “It was really, really impressive today what he did.”
49ers Teammates React to Evans’ Toughness
According to Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area, left tackle Trent Williams said nobody would have blamed Evans for sitting. “Nobody in this locker room would’ve blamed him if he said, ‘I can’t go. It’s too painful,'” Williams said. “But for him to go out there and put it all on the line for his teammates, I think that speaks to why he’s a gold jacket guy.”
Brock Purdy called Evans “a dog” and “a true pro.” He said he tried to be careful about where he placed the ball so Evans would avoid hits to the injured area. Deebo Samuel said the 49ers are “blessed to have him here.”
George Kittle said the standard in the locker room is simple. “If you can play, play,” Kittle said. He added that Evans is never going to hurt the team “because he’s so damn good.”
“Everybody knows how painful ribs are. Nobody in this locker room would have blamed him if he said I can’t go, it’s too painful. We would’ve expected that. But for
Evans Takes Pride in Being Available
Evans has missed fewer than 30 games across 13 NFL seasons. He said suiting up is a point of pride. “It’s my job,” Evans said. “If there’s something I can play through, I’m going to be there for my team as best I can.”
San Francisco improved to 4-0 with the win. Evans has been a big reason the offense hasn’t slowed down.
49ers’ Mike Evans Reveals Truth About Playing Through Rib Injury