San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw left the Super Bowl with an Achilles injury in the second quarter.
On first glance, most fans and analysts thought Greenlaw suffered a freak non-contact injury as he was running onto the field. However, Greenlaw missed Week 18 due to Achilles tendinitis and battled the injury in the playoffs.
The San Francisco 49ers weren’t surprised by the injury
Per David Lombardi with The Athletic, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said Greenlaw was battling the Achilles injury heading into the Super Bowl and knew why Greenlaw was injured the moment it happened:
“I was sick to my stomach,” Warner said after the game. “I’m still sick. I seen him at halftime and I’m just, I’m crying because I’m so hurt for him. And obviously I wanted to win this for him. Sickening.
“He’s just been dealing with that same Achilles injury for the last few weeks. So when we ran out on the field together and I see him drop down, I knew exactly what happened.”
Greenlaw was listed as having an Achilles injury for the injury reports for the divisional round and NFC Championship Game. However, Greenlaw was not listed on the Super Bowl injury report for having the injury.
Per Pro Football Focus, Greenlaw’s replacement in the Super Bowl, Oren Burks, struggled against the Chiefs offense on Sunday. He gave up nine catches on the nine passing plays he was targeted. Burks allowed a touchdown. He earned a 32.1 coverage grade and a 35.3 overall grade for his play on Sunday.
Burks also missed a tackle.
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