The San Francisco 49ers have lost All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga for the remainder of the 2023 season after the former USC star tore his ACL in Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers won the game 27-14 but the team’s fourth-leading tackler this season is done. Head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Monday that at least it was a clean tear of the ACL with no damage to his meniscus.
“He started out well,” Shanahan said of Hufanga’s year so far. “He hit a little lull during the season in our skid, and he played one of his best games versus Jacksonville. I thought the same thing was going to happen here, but I thought he was going to end up having a real good year.”
The safety started the first ten games and amassed 51 total tackles with one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, three interceptions, and three passes defended prior to his injury.
Hufanga is in his third year in the NFL. He’s spent all three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers after they took him in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. His best season with the 49ers came in 2022, when he tallied up 97 tackles, two sacks, nine deflected passes, and four interceptions. His performance landed him a Pro Bowl invite and his first first-team All-Pro selection.
Hufanga played his college football with the USC Trojans, where he racked up numerous awards during his three years there. In 2020, he earned Consensus All-American honors and was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Hufanga racked up 62 tackles, four interceptions, one pass deflection, and two forced fumbles.
49ers’ Brock Purdy posts perfect QB rating
During Sunday’s win over the Bucs, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy posted a perfect QB rating, which is the first time since Joe Montana in 1989. Purdy went 21-for-25 with 333 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on his way to the fault-less 158.3 mark.
“What an honor,” Purdy said post-game. “But at the same time, I feel like there’s still some plays and stuff that I wish I had back. So, I’m not completely content with just that, but I thought it was a great game with the guys around me, the coaching and the playcalling, all of it. I think that’s a testament to the team, really.”
The 49ers, now 7-3 and still first in the NFC West, have a quick turnaround this week. They take on the Seahawks on Thanksgiving Day at 8:20 p.m. ET.
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