Mike Evans left Monday night's game with an Achilles injury. Early word is that the tendon is not torn, but he is expected to miss time. Pro Football Talk and Yahoo Sports said the 49ers receiver appeared to aggravate a sore Achilles late in the first half, when San Francisco led 20-3. Reddit posts described him limping off after going to the ground for a catch. Matt Maiocco's report, shared on r/nfl, said the 49ers ruled him out for the rest of the game.
The most useful detail comes from SB Nation's post-game update. Jennifer Lee Chan reported she is hearing Evans will miss "a little time." SB Nation wrote that early indications are the tendon is intact, but that he likely won't return until after the bye. That is the only outlet with a timeline, and the feed summary we have is cut off. No outlet we have gives an official diagnosis or a team statement on his status.
Evans had one of his best games of the season before he left. He caught three passes for 94 yards on five targets, with a long of 54, according to the box score. That is a 31.3-yard average, and he had no touchdown. San Francisco won 23-17.
The box score also shows how much the game tightened. The 49ers scored 13 points in the first quarter and 7 in the second. They added only a field goal in the third and nothing in the fourth. Washington scored 14 unanswered points over the last two quarters. San Francisco finished with 375 yards to Washington's 314, and it lost a fumble. It also drew 11 penalties for 88 yards.
Evans has been a regular part of the passing game. Through six games he has 24 catches on 34 targets for 326 yards and three touchdowns, an average of 13.6 yards per catch. His best game was 7 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown in the 32-29 win at Seattle on Oct. 11. His low was 34 yards on three catches against Arizona. Monday's 94 yards were his second-highest single-game total this year. His earlier ESPN data lists him with games played but no passing attempts, which suggests the passing line is an empty record rather than a role.
The 49ers are 6-0 and lead the NFC West with a six-game winning streak. Three of the last four wins were close: this one, the three-point win in Seattle and the 24-14 win over Denver. Next up is a trip to Atlanta on Sunday, Oct. 25. If SB Nation's timeline holds, Evans will not play there, and the bye comes after that game.
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