49ers' Trent Williams Likely Has High Ankle Sprain Injury, Kyle Shanahan Says

The San Francisco 49ers lost more than the game to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that left tackle Trent Williams likely suffered a high ankle sprain in the 11-10 defeat. He exited the game in the third quarter on a disastrous play for the 49ers that saw Jimmy Garoppolo step out of the back of the end zone for a safety when he dropped back to pass deep in his own territory.

Colton McKivitz initially came in at left tackle to replace him, but the 49ers then switched to Jaylon Moore later in the contest.

Losing Williams for any time would be a blow for a 1-2 San Francisco team that already lost starting quarterback Trey Lance for the season to injury. Williams is one of the best offensive linemen of his generation and has a resume that includes nine Pro Bowl selections.

He entered the league as the No. 4 overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft and appeared in a combined 29 games for the 49ers in 2020 and 2021.

Williams earned an incredible overall player grade of 97.8 from Pro Football Focus last season, the single highest grade ever given by the company.

His injury was part of a stunning loss by the 49ers, as their defense was in control of the majority of the game before Garoppolo's mistakes proved too much to overcome. In addition to the safety, he also lost a fumble and threw a pass into double coverage that got tipped to Jonas Griffith for an interception when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter.

Things don't get much easier for San Francisco with a Week 4 showdown against the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.

Blocking a defensive line that features Aaron Donald is always a daunting task, and it will be that much more difficult if Williams is sidelined.