CINCINNATI — On a day when not much else went wrong for the San Francisco 49ers, they lost left tackle Joe Staley to a broken fibula in his left leg late in Sunday’s 41-17 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.
With 2:21 left in the third quarter, Staley was downfield blocking for running back Raheem Mostert when Mostert’s leg appeared to whip into the back of Staley, who crumpled to the ground.
After a couple of minutes, Staley was able to limp to the sideline, where he waited for a cart to take him to the Niners’ locker room. He did not return to the game, and rookie Justin Skule replaced him at left tackle.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan announced the severity of Staley’s injury after the game but said he did not believe it was a season-ending injury. He said the team would have a better idea on how long he will be sidelined on Monday.