49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk could have a torn ACL

The San Francisco 49ers may have suffered 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 in his postgame press conference that the 49ers are thinking exactly that. Aiyuk left the game after catching a 14-yard catch with 48 seconds left in the first half. He blocked a brutal shot from Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner as he came down the field to catch the ball.

The defender came hard and dragged him to the ground by his legs. Aiyuk's right leg appears to be uncomfortably hyperextended or bent. Whatever happened, it is clear that this was a significant injury. He went to the blue tent on the sideline and had to be carried to the locker room. Every time a player is deported, it means it is the worst case scenario.

Unfortunately, this worst-case scenario could end up becoming a reality. If Aiyuk does indeed suffer a torn ACL, the 49ers will look to rookie Ricky Pearsall to start backing up. He made his debut today after missing time due to an unfortunate shooting accident. Aiyuk has had a strange tenure since the 49ers suffered a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl LVIII.

It all started when he was facing a contract extension in the final year of his rookie contract. He had an All-Pro season and has proven that he gets better every season. Extending him made perfect sense, but the 49ers made it difficult. It was nothing new. The 49ers always have to make it complicated to add to their players, even when it's obvious.

Aiyuk has never been able to make a significant impact this season. In Week 5, he excelled against the Arizona Cardinals with eight catches and 147 receiving yards. Outside of that game, he was a shell of his former self. That's partly because he missed almost all of training camp. He needed time to get his legs under him.

Before he got hurt, he didn't play a role against the Chiefs. He had dropped the best pass of the game from Brock Purdy, which would have been a first down early in the second quarter. Still, his loss didn't do anything better for the 49ers. Having him available would have made it easier to pull off a comeback against the Chiefs.

Either way, it will be a devastating loss for the 49ers if Aiyuk misses this year.