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| San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan works the sidelines in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers on August 30, 2018 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI |
By The Sports Xchange
The San Francisco 49ers exited Sunday's 24-16 loss against the Minnesota Vikings feeling disappointed about things unfolding in a game with various missed opportunities, such as scoring one touchdown on four trips inside the red zone.
A day later, they were attempting to figure out how their offensive line might look for Week 2 against the Detroit Lions in their home opener on Sunday.
It was a tough day for the offensive line but also one where 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff got a glimpse at the depth of who protects quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was 15-of-33 for 261 yards but also threw three interceptions.
The 49ers lost starting right guard Mike Person to a strained foot and reserve Joshua Garnett to a dislocated toe during Sunday's game. Both are questionable for Sunday's game, but the fact that neither player broke any bones and are even considered questionable is a positive.
"We don't know how long it's going to be," Shanahan said. "The good news was nothing is broken with either of them. So, no IR or anything. But, we've got to see how they respond to treatment during the week to kind of have an idea whether they have a chance this week and going forward whether it will be week-to-week after that. They need a few more days to kind of understand that."
If Person and Garnett are out, the 49ers may turn to offensive lineman Erik Magnuson, assuming he can do more than limited drills while recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained while competing for the starting guard job in the preseason.
Or the 49ers could simply do what they did in Minnesota, by placing rookie tackle Mike McGlinchey at guard and move reserve tackle Garry Gilliam to right tackle where McGlinchey normally lines up.
"I was so impressed with McGlinchey," Shanahan said. "It was his first NFL game. He's never played guard and you could see that there was nothing about him that was scared to go try it. He knew he had to do it and he didn't flinch at all.
"He went in there, competed, did the best he could and did a pretty good job. I know there were a couple mistakes, as expected, but it was not too big for him. And him going in there did give us a chance to come back and win that game."
While the offensive line situation remains uncertain, it seems promising wide receiver Marquise Goodwin could play. Goodwin exited Sunday's game after getting hurt while blocking and was diagnosed with a deep thigh bruise.
Goodwin is day-to-day, which doesn't assure he will play, but the outlook seems better a day later.
NOTES:
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TE George Kittle had five receptions for 90 yards, including a 36-yard reception up the left sideline. Kittle put up the second-highest receiving yards of his career on Sunday following a 100-yard performance in the season finale last season against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17.
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LB Fred Warner recorded a game-high 12 tackles Sunday. His 12 stops tied the fourth-highest total in the NFL's opening weekend. He added a forced fumble and a pass defended, in addition to a quarterback hurry. Warner is starting in place of Reuben Foster, who is serving a two-game suspension. As for whether Warner remains in the lineup when Foster returns, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he will figure it out when he needs to. "The way he played yesterday, it'd be hard to get that guy off of the field," Shanahan said. "He did a hell of a job yesterday in his first game. But, that was yesterday. We'll see how he does this week."
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RG Mike Person exited Sunday's game due to a strained foot. Person is questionable for Week 2 against Detroit.
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RG Joshua Garnett exited Sunday's game due to a dislocated toe. Garnett is questionable for Week 2 against Detroit.
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WR Marquise Goodwin exited Sunday's game after getting hurt while blocking and was diagnosed with a deep thigh bruise. The good news is Goodwin is listed as day-to-day and could play in Week 2 against Detroit.
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