Mike Evans injury: 49ers star ruled out (rib) after bizarre sequence

UPDATE: The 49ers ruled out Mike Evans for the rest of Sunday’s game due to a rib injury. The announcement came early in the third quarter. Head coach Kyle Shanahan will likely speak to the injury after the game. The San Francisco 49ers suffer more weird injuries than just about any team in the NFL. The Niners look fantastic during a 2-0 start to begin the 2026 season, but they just can’t get over the injury bug. New addition Mike Evans went down during the team’s Week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, and it’s another injury that seems pretty confusing on first blush. It happened shortly after Evans executed a perfect hook-and-ladder with teammate Deebo Samuel for an 80-yard touchdown. Evans ran a route in the third quarter and came up lame. He was sandwiched by two Cardinals defenders on the previous play but stayed in the game. Evans was evaluated on the field, and eventually carted to the locker room. Watch the play here. Mike Evans in pain after this play. Didn't make contact with anyone pic.twitter.com/yTqXaaueEn — Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) September 27, 2026 Evans needed help just to get off the field. It sure feels like he reaggravated something from the previous play, but it still seems pretty weird that he stayed in the game and didn’t show the effects of the injury until his next route. Here’s Evans being helped off the field and carted to the locker room. Mike Evans appears injured and is in a ton of pain. Almost looks like he can’t breathe. Just dropped down to a knee on the sideline and trying to catch his breath. Hopefully not a lung or vital organ issue. pic.twitter.com/IYNprrCghD — Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) September 27, 2026 Mike Evans is being carted to the locker room. 📺: FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/hd47jRjfYc — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 27, 2026 There’s speculation that Evans may have injured his ribs. Hopefully it’s not a vital organ injury. We’ll update this post when Evans’ injury status is announced.

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