Story by
Mike Evans out, 49ers lean on the route craft Terrell Owens just called average
- Story by
- Mike Evans out, 49ers lean on the route craft Terrell Owens just called average
Mike Evans out, 49ers lean on the route craft Terrell Owens just called average originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Mike Evans will sit out the San Francisco 49ers ' Week 7 game against the Atlanta Falcons , and the skill Terrell Owens just labeled ordinary is the same one San Francisco is counting on to cover for him.
Advertisement
Coach Kyle Shanahan ruled Evans out Friday. The receiver did not practice all week after Achilles tendinitis knocked him out of Monday night's win over the Washington Commanders late in the first half.
Owens, 52, aired his doubts on the "Get TO The Point Podcast."
"We were watching the game. Mike was playing, Mike Evans, and I was like, 'Look at his routes.' I'm like, 'I can do that. It's not like he's blazing speed.' He just knows how to run routes, knows where to go, and then the quarterback can save you," Owens said . "Like, he was just catching some really average plays."
Peel away the shade, and Owens described a style that wins on spacing and timing. San Francisco's fix leans on the same thing. Christian Kirk, a veteran wide receiver expected to come off injured reserve after a calf injury in July's training camp, has no game reps this season and is selling experience over burst.
Advertisement
"Thankfully for me, I've played enough ball, I've played a lot of football and have got a lot of experience," Kirk said.
Christian Kirk's Return Tests 49ers' Thin Receiver Room in Atlanta
The arithmetic explains why Kirk matters. Deebo Samuel Sr. (hamstring) is also out, and Ricky Pearsall (knee), De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) and Demarcus Robinson (ankle) were already sidelined.
Kirk does not need to match that output. Evans converted 24 of those catches into first downs, and he has played through broken ribs since Week 3. The offense is built on extending drives, and finding soft spots in coverage is a veteran's job, the exact craft Owens shrugged at.
Advertisement
The rest of the roster offers little cushion. Linebackers Luke Gifford (groin) and Garret Wallow (hamstring), safety Marques Sigle (ankle) and defensive end Nick Bosa (calf) are all out. Cutting Ogbo Okoronkwo, a defensive end, cleared Kirk's roster spot Friday, and Shanahan expects to dress fewer than 48 players even with Saturday's practice squad call-ups.
"I don't think ever in my career [has that happened]," Shanahan said.
Kirk carries a questionable tag that Shanahan called procedural. Evans gets a second week of rest with the 49ers off in Week 8.
