Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers provides an update on injured LT Trent Williams.
It was one thing to get pummeled on Monday Night Football in Week 16 of the NFL regular season by a club that had recently looked like an AFC Super Bowl favorite. It was quite another to get battered while dealing with a slew of potentially vital ailments for the 49ers.
Because, despite the attention paid to players Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, the actual bellwether of the 49ers attack is their left tackle, and the team simply cannot afford an injury to Trent Williams that lasts into the playoffs.
Williams left Monday’s loss to Baltimore due to a groin ailment. This was exacerbated when backup Jaylon Moore was injured.
A groin injury, of course, might be difficult to assess the severity of.
“He tried to go back in,” Shanahan stated after the game in his postgame press conference. “The trainer didn’t think it was a good idea, so we’ll get the MRI tomorrow and see how it goes.”
In the postgame locker room, Williams attempted to settle the situation. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Williams told numerous reporters, “I’m fine.” “I know you’re curious about my injury. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
But, once again, it will take a day of rest and an MRI for Williams to properly understand the severity of the damage.
Trent Williams is injured, and the 49ers are struggling without him.
There should be no misunderstanding about the gravity of the problem if the 49ers are unable to replace Williams in the postseason. He has been a Pro Bowl left tackle for ten years in a row, and he is a staple on the line for San Francisco. Despite being 35 years old, he is still the No. 2-graded left tackle in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ grading methodology. This year, Williams has a PFF grade of 85.8.
For the past three seasons, he has been the league’s top left tackle.
Worse, we’ve seen how the 49ers look when the offense tries to play through an injury to Trent Williams. Williams suffered an injury in Week 6 against Cleveland, when he sprained his ankle but played through it. The 49ers lost that game, scoring only 17 points. He also sat out Weeks 7 and 8, against the Vikings and Bengals, respectively, and the 49ers lost both games, scoring 17 points in each.
‘How about Trent Williams getting some MVP love?’ says Ronde Barber.
Ronde Barber, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, observed what happened to the 49ers in that defeat to the Ravens and saw a squad that resembled the one on the losing run. Barber stated on The 33rd Team website that there is some indication that Williams should be the one receiving “MVP love” , in the three games they lost this year, they only scored 17 points in each of those three games.
“The one constant was Trent Williams’ injury, which kept him out of the game.” When he left the football game, Brock Purdy reverted to the Brock Purdy we saw throughout the three-game losing skid.”
“We ask ourselves, how does that happen to a team that has been so proficient on offense all year long?” Barber stated. “I’ll give you one.” We discuss about Brock Purdy being named MVP, and Christian McCaffrey receiving MVP honors. How about Trent Williams getting some MVP recognition from this side—we all know how talented he is.