49ers suffer yet another brutal injury loss, a potential season-ending one

There's a chance the 49ers will be without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave for the rest of 2024 after he suffered a serious injury in Week 3.

Week 3 was about as bad as possible for the San Francisco 49ers.

Aside from masterful performances from quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receiver Jauan Jennings, nearly everything that could go wrong in the fourth-quarter collapse of a loss to the Los Angeles Rams went wrong.

Not only did the defense collapse, while Purdy and the offense dealt with six dropped passes, but the injury bug kept biting the Niners roster as it has been throughout the young season.

On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered a partially torn triceps during the game and will likely be out for the rest of the season.

Hargrave, 31 years old, was one of San Francisco's prized free-agent pickups a season ago and already tallied seven tackles and a sack over the first three weeks of 2024.

After bidding farewell to now-Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead during the offseason, the 49ers were hoping for bigger things from Hargrave, who nevertheless delivered a Pro Bowl-caliber effort in 2023 with seven sacks.

Now, the void left behind will be a tough one to fill, potentially calling for the Niners to execute some moves in free agency or on the trade wire.

San Francisco has already dealt with serious injuries to star players this season, including running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (calf) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring).

It's hard for fans to not recall how the 49ers endured similar injury attrition on the heels of a previous Super Bowl loss back in 2020, and 2024 is shaping up to be the same kind of campaign.

One can only hope for a speedy recovery for Hargrave.

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