Brandon Aiyuk injury looms larger than 49ers' Week 7 loss to Chiefs

The 49ers can't feel good about losing to the Chiefs, but potentially losing Brandon Aiyuk to a serious injury is much, much worse.

The San Francisco 49ers can dish out plenty of blame in all directions for their 28-18 Week 7 loss to the visiting Kansas City Chiefs.

Losing wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to what appears to be a very serious knee injury is one of those directions.

Aiyuk took a big hit late in the second quarter on a play that appeared to bend his right knee back in the wrong direction. Despite being able to walk off the field under his own power after receiving attention from the medical staff, a quick trip into the blue tent resulted in him being carted off to the locker room.

What's worse, considering KC likes to run man coverage against the Niners, Aiyuk's absence removed head coach Kyle Shanahan's top man-coverage beater from the equation.

Devastating. Especially in light of the Niners also losing fellow wideout Deebo Samuel to an illness after he played just three snaps while also being without receiver Jauan Jennings (hip).

Injuries have hit San Francisco hard this season, yes. But those won't wholly explain everything that went wrong for quarterback Brock Purdy and the offense throughout Week 7. Purdy tossed an interception on his first attempt of the game, ultimately finishing 17-of-31 for 212 yards, no touchdowns against X picks for a 36.7 passer rating.

Purdy also rushed in for two scores on the ground.

Brock Purdy wasn't the only reason 49ers offense struggled

At one point in the game, Kansas City had 11 first-down conversions, whereas the 49ers boasted a mere one. And that conversion came via a Chiefs penalty, too.

One of the reasons, despite Purdy's ineffectiveness for much of the first half, was due to KC's stout run defense, which largely shut down running back Jordan Mason. While Shanahan frequently opted to call bootlegs and play-action passes, Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had his side of the ball prepared for it at all costs.

As a result, the Niners rushed for an average of 4.2 yards per carry, totaling 101 yards on the ground as a whole.

Plus, lest one forget, San Francisco went a paltry 2-of-11 on third downs. Despite the Chiefs' own offensive challenges and injuries this season, the 49ers simply couldn't afford not to take advantage is such situations.

If there are positives, and there are a few, rookie wideouts Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing each recorded their first NFL receptions in the game.

Pearsall, the Niners' top pick from last April's NFL Draft who suffered a gunshot wound last August, might be rushed into the fray in upcoming weeks in light of Aiyuk's injury.

San Francisco will likely need Pearsall a lot now.

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