49ers lose two key players to injury ahead of Eagles game

An additional feather to put in the Eagles’ cap following their win over the Falcons is that Philadelphia beat a relatively healthy team. Atlanta had exactly zero players from their 53-man roster listed on their final injury report.

The Eagles’ Week 2 opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, are very likely better than the Falcons. But they’re also banged up coming off a ‘little too close for comfort’ win over the Detroit Lions.

Speaking to media on Monday afternoon, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed two key players — starting cornerback Jason Verrett and running back Raheem Mostert — will miss Sunday’s game against the Eagles. Verrett is out for the season with a torn ACL and Mostert, a former Eagle, is expected to miss about half the season with a knee issue.

Verrett has been no stranger to injury throughout his career but he’s looked good when actually healthy. The 2014 first-round pick allowed just a 76.2 passer rating when targeted last year.

Verrett was clearly the 49ers’ best defensive back prior to getting hurt. His injury was instantly felt after he got hurt in the fourth quarter on Sunday as it coincided with Detroit’s near-comeback. Our friend Kyle Posey from Niners Nation wrote the following:

Losing Verrett would be a massive blow, as he was comfortably one of the best players on the team. The Lions took advantage of the defense once Verrett went down, and Shanahan acknowledged as much.

The numbers also reflect this sentiment.

Goff’s passing stats BEFORE Verrett’s injury:

21/33 (63.6%) for 183 (5.5 avg), 2 TD, 1 INT, 85.8 passer rating

Goff’s passing stats AFTER Verrett’s injury:

17/24 (70.8%) for 155 (6.5 avg), 1 TD, 0 INT, 101.9 passer rating

Jalen Hurts did a good job of taking advantage of an uninspiring Falcons secondary in Week 1. The second-year quarterback should have some opportunities to attack the 49ers through the air again this weekend. (Of course, the 49ers boast a better defensive line and linebacker corps than Atlanta does.)

As for Mostert, well, his absence might not be as devastating considering rookie Elijah Mitchell had 19 carries for 104 yards (5.5 average) and one score in his NFL debut. But Mitchell wasn’t a factor as a receiver, which wasn’t totally unlike his college career.

Ideally, you’d like to see the Eagles beat other teams at full strength to gauge just how good they are and to leave no excuses. But, as Philly fans are well aware, injuries are very much part of the game. And the Eagles might be able to take advantage of the 49ers’ woes.