Dre Greenlaw tore his Achilles in a freak incident while jogging onto the field during the Super Bowl, and thanks to “Inside the NFL,” we can witness the huge impact it had on his 49ers colleagues.
“Did Dre just get hurt running out on the field?” Kyle Shanahan, 49ers coach, questioned in despair, seemingly unable to believe what he had just witnessed.
Greenlaw’s right Achilles popped when rushing onto the field following the 49ers’ second-quarter punt.
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It’s unclear whether it’s related, but Greenlaw suffered Achilles tendonitis in Week 18 and throughout the playoffs.
“No!” linebacker Fred Warner cried as Greenlaw collapsed screaming.
Warner was aware that Greenlaw’s Achilles tendon could be problematic.
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“I was sick to my stomach,” Warner admitted following the game. “I am still sick. I saw him at halftime and started crying because I felt so bad for him. And, obviously, I wanted to win it for him. Sickening.
“He’s been struggling with the same Achilles ailment for the past few weeks. So as we raced out on the field together and I saw him fall, I understood what had happened.”
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Later in the game, once the worst suspicions about the injury were confirmed, tight end George Kittle asked his teammates, “Did Dre really tear his Achilles?”
“Yeah, they just said,” a teammate answered.
“That’s depressing,” a dejected Kittle said.
The Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes was similarly taken aback when he learned of the injury.
“Five out of seven people were harmed. Fifty-seven just got hurt over there,” Mahomes told players and coaches on the sideline, who quickly paused to look.
Greenlaw, the team’s second-leading tackler and dubbed the “motor of the defense” by cornerback Chavarius Ward, was lost for the remainder of the game.
His injury obviously impacted the 49ers for the rest of the game.
The Chiefs scored all of their points after Greenlaw left, as they were shut out for the whole of the second quarter.
Travis Kelce’s absence also contributed to the 49ers’ second-half and overtime meltdown.
According to Pro Football Focus, Greenlaw played seven snaps in coverage, and Kelce had only one reception for one yard when Greenlaw was on the field.
Kelce led the game in receiving yards with 93 on nine catches while Greenlaw was not covering him.
Kansas City’s exciting overtime victory could have turned out differently if Greenlaw had remained healthy, and this injury will be one of many “what-ifs” in the 49ers’ saga.
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