San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders sustained cartilage damage in his ribs during Monday night’s 27-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Tuesday.
“He’ll be day-to-day and probably end up being a game-time decision,” Shanahan said of Sanders, who had an MRI exam on Tuesday morning after X-rays at Levi’s Stadium on Monday night proved to be inconclusive.
The 49ers’ next game is Sunday at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
Sanders tried to play through the injury sustained early in the game but went to the locker room soon after the second quarter started and did not return, finishing with two catches for 24 yards.
Acquired from the Denver Broncos on Oct. 22, Sanders, 32, has 13 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns in three games with the 49ers.
Through seven games this season with the Broncos, Sanders had 30 catches for 367 yards and two touchdowns. The 10th-year veteran spent the last five-plus seasons with the Broncos, totaling 404 receptions for 5,361 yards and 28 touchdowns across 78 games, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2014 and 2016 and winning Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season.
The 49ers (8-1) are hurting for receivers after also losing tight end George Kittle, who was a pregame inactive Monday due to knee and ankle injuries. According to Shanahan, Kittle’s status is unchanged.
“They’re our two best playmakers, so it definitely takes a toll,” Shanahan said after Monday’s loss. “We knew that coming in with George, we kind of realized that was going to happen today. And Emmanuel was out there battling, had that happen with his ribs. He tried to go a few more series longer but he had to go out. Other guys came in and some guys stepped it up at times. We just didn’t have the consistency there.”
The 49ers also announced Tuesday that defensive lineman Ronald Blair is out for the remainder of the season after sustaining a torn ACL in his right knee. The fifth-year player made 21 tackles and three sacks in a key reserve role over nine games.
