As San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green jumped and came down with an interception of Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins in the end zone, what looked like a celebratory moment turned into a sight the 49ers faithful have seen far too often in recent seasons.
Green went down and stayed down on the field, flinging the ball out of his hands before grabbing his shoulder and writhing in pain. While he was able to walk off the field, Green's status for next week remains cloudy.
Along with Green, head coach Kyle Shanahan said postgame that Deommodore Lenoir sustained a foot injury during the contest, creating a scenario that could see both of the Niners' starting corners miss a game in which they'd be keys to victory.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens have potential to haunt 49ers
It's no secret the Cowboys have had a disappointing season. Still, their all-world receiver duo in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens have been doing everything in their power to keep Dallas' playoff hopes alive.
The Cowboys fell short multiple times this year in games that they looked to be primed with an opportunity to win. Now, with a 4-5 record, leaning on their strongest positional advantage will be key to a late season playoff run in a wide open NFC East.
Lamb and Pickens have been two of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott's favorite targets since their arrival in Jerry's World, and when you look at the rest of the their offense, it's pretty clear why. There's just not many other options to go to, and when you have guys that have a natural size and speed advantage, peppering them feels like a no brainer.
Both pass catchers are strong targets with a huge catch radius, providing an advantage over the Niners smaller cornerbacks, even more so if Lenoir and/or Green were to miss the game.
49ers secondary may not have enough firepower to deter Cowboys WRs
The San Francisco secondary has stayed relatively healthy, at least compared to the rest of the team, throughout the season. That said, the Niners are extremely thin at corner, as Upton Stout is the only other CB on the active roster who has played meaningful snaps this season.
Stout, while being a major contributor for someone who was a late-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, stands only 5-foot-9 inches tall. Thus making him a target Prescott would likely try to exploit with Lamb and Pickens, who are both almost half a foot taller than Stout.
While the threat of the 49ers' top two corners missing the game remains, they do have one potential reinforcement who could provide some of the depth the group has missed all year.
Nate Hobbs, who has been on injured reserve all season, could be activated before the game in Dallas. While not someone whom San Francisco anticipates locking down Pickens or Lamb for the majority of the game, Hobbs projects as a rotational piece who could play meaningful snaps.
Niner fans will await practice reports to see just how long their starting cornerback duo may miss, and if they do sit on Sunday, they have no shortage of talented receivers to be healthy for after the Dallas game. Justin Jefferson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Malik Nabers loom in the following weeks, potentially throwing a wrench in San Francisco's quest for the NFC's No. 1 seed.
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