The San Francisco 49ers are hoping for some key players to come back to practice real soon, but man, the big one everyone’s watching is Mike Evans. He sat out Week 7 with multiple injuries, and it wasn’t just some small thing. The word is, not playing him on a short week with their bye coming up was the smart play.
“Quiet That Thing Down”
General Manager John Lynch has been pretty open about Evans’ situation, telling KNBR that “Mike’s been working tirelessly” and “He’ll continue to do that. He’s on a great plan, and I think the idea is you’ve just got to quiet that thing down.” This isn’t Evans’ first rodeo with this kind of issue. Lynch even compared it to Christian McCaffrey’s bilateral Achilles last year, thankfully noting that for Evans, it’s “just on the one side.” Sounds like this Achilles has been a nagging issue for Evans throughout his career, but it hit a point where it was “really inhibiting his ability to play.” So, they had to pull him out and try to get it to settle down. Lynch said they’re “making good progress on that” and Evans will be “tireless in his efforts.” Still, Lynch wasn’t going to commit to Evans being back at practice next week. He knows Evans is a pro who doesn’t like to miss games, but also understands the “big picture: That we need him right, and we’ll make sure that he is before he returns.”
The Gauntlet Ahead
Now, the 49ers’ schedule is about to get interesting. They’ve got the Raiders and Vikings coming up in Weeks 9 and 10, both described as “subpar defenses.” Sounds like they might be able to get by without Evans for another week or two, maybe even through a game against Dallas if that defense is as “lousy enough” as implied, though you’d still need to score against that offense. But after that? The schedule gets tough. They’ll face “two to three playoff teams” in the Vikings, our Seahawks, and the Giants. The Vikings present a unique challenge, and let’s be real, “the Seahawks are the Seahawks.” That’s a serious test for any team, especially one with a key playmaker hobbled.
The 49ers really need to be smart here. Evans was signed to do what he’s been doing all season, but that’s not going to matter if he’s not on the field when January rolls around. We’ll all be watching to see how patient they are with him and if he misses any more time at all, especially with our Hawks looming on their schedule.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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