49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk Might Have a Torn ACL

Brandon Aiyuk exited the game against the Chiefs with a knee injury. The 49ers fear that it could be a torn ACL.

Oct 20, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) walks on the field before the start of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers took potentially more than one loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Ayiuk is feared to have torn his ACL. Head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted that is what the 49ers are thinking in his post-game press conference. Aiyuk exited the game after securing a 14-yard catch with 48 seconds left in the first half. He took a brutal shot from a Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner as he was coming across the field for the catch.

The defender came in hard to take him down by his legs. Aiyuk's right leg looks to have hyperextended or bent in an awkward way. Whatever happened, it is clear that it was a significant injury. He went to the blue tent on the sideline and needed to get carted off into the locker room. Anytime a player gets carted off, it means it is the worst-case scenario.

Unfortunately, that worst-case scenario might end up becoming a reality. Should Aiyuk truly have a torn ACL, then the 49ers will look to rookie Ricky Pearsall to start stepping up. He made his debut today after missing time due to an unfortunate shooting incident. Aiyuk has undergone an odd tenure since the 49ers suffered a heartbreaking defeat in Super Bowl LVIII.

It all started because he was due for a contract extension entering the last year of his rookie deal. He was coming off an All-Pro season and has proven to get better every season. Extending him made a lot of sense, but the 49ers made it difficult. It wasn't anything new. The 49ers always have to make it complicated with extending their players even when it's obvious.

Aiyuk has never been able to make a significant impact this season. He popped off against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5 for eight catches and 147 receiving yards. Outside of that game, he has been a shell of himself. Part of that is because he missed almost all of training camp. He's needed time to get his legs under him.

Before he got injured, he wasn't a factor against the Chiefs. He had dropped the best pass of the game from Brock Purdy that would've been a first down early in the second quarter. Still, his loss didn't make anything better for the 49ers. Having him available would've made it easier to muster a comeback against the Chiefs.

Either way, this is a devastating loss for the 49ers if Aiyuk is out for the year.