49ers CB Witherspoon will miss final two games
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (23) is assisted off the field after getting injured on Sunday.
The San Francisco 49ers picked up an encouraging 26-23 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, but they lost a starting cornerback in the process.
Coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday that cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon suffered a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his knee and will be placed on injured reserve. That means his 2018 season is over.
Rookie Tarvarius Moore will replace Witherspoon in the starting lineup.
Shanahan would like to have seen Witherspoon play two more games to be able to judge his progress.
"Wish he could've finished these last two games," Shanahan said. "I think he definitely was finishing better than he started. But, his story is not written yet. He's got to improve. Hopefully, he'll come back here ready to go next year and take off the way he finished."
Shanahan admitted that Witherspoon did get better as the season wore on.
"I thought he got a lot better in his coverage," Shanahan said. "Just more consistent. Playing a little more physical in his coverage, too. I know he had some PI calls over the last month, ones that I wouldn't want him to play differently. I thought he did a real good job on all those. I liked how he got more aggressive throughout the year."
Witherspoon suffered the injury in the first quarter of Sunday's game, attempting to tackle Seahawks running back Chris Carson.
He played in 14 games this season and started in 12 of them. Witherspoon had 37 total tackles and four passes defensed.
Witherspoon was replaced by Moore, who gave up a touchdown pass to Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin but later broke up two passes.
Moore has played in 14 games, but Sunday will be his first NFL start.
"Yeah, I was excited to see him play," Shanahan said. "I know they challenged him a number of times and he missed some plays, but I liked how he rebounded throughout the game.
"Stuff that he struggled on earlier, I thought he did better in the fourth quarter. He plays physical. He doesn't mind hitting."
--RB Matt Breida suffered a sprained ankle in Sunday's game, but he is expected to be ready for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.
--CB Tarvarius Moore suffered a rib injury in Sunday's game, but he is expected to play on Sunday.
--S Jaquiski Tartt is dealing with a stinger. Coach Kyle Shanahan said he would have a better idea on Wednesday as to whether Tartt will be able to play on Sunday.
--CB K'Waun Williams suffered a knee injury on Sunday, and the team will know later in the week whether he will be available Sunday.
--QB Nick Mullens has led the 49ers to two straight victories. In Sunday's 26-23 overtime victory over Seattle, Mullens completed 20 of 29 passes for 275 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
Recent Stories
Rams hard at work despite earning bye
The Los Angeles Rams will continue to stay hard at work despite earning a bye through the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
Players will continue to visit the ...
Packers' lost season includes losing Rodgers to concussion
Green Bay's 6-9-1 season ended with Aaron Rodgers getting knocked out of Sunday's 31-0 loss to the Detroit Lions with a concussion. That was dubious and fitting ...
49ers will retain defensive coordinator Saleh
The San Francisco 49ers gave up a lot of points and did not force many turnovers, but Robert Saleh will return for his third season as the 49ers' defensive coordinator, ...
GM Licht says Winston is Bucs' quarterback
Dirk Koetter was fired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach on Sunday, but his quarterback will be staying.
General manager Jason Licht, who will lead the search ...
Chargers get another chance against Ravens
The Los Angeles Chargers didn't have to wait long for a chance to avenge their Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Los Angeles was shut down by Baltimore's stout ...
Latest Player Notes
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...
Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback
San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...
Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall
Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...
Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather
CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...
Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense
Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...
Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game
With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...