The San Francisco 49ers lost one of their defensive leaders in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVIII when linebacker Dre Greenlaw was carted off the field with a leg injury after a freak incident on the sideline. Shortly after, Greenlaw was ruled out for the remainder of the Super Bowl with an Achilles injury. It proved extra costly as his 49ers fell to the Chiefs 25-22 in overtime.
After a punt that came with 9:26 remaining in the second quarter, Greenlaw, who was not on the field for the play, attempted to sprint back onto the field for another 49ers defensive series. However, he injured his left leg, and was carted to the locker room.
Check out what happened, here:
Dre Greenlaw appeared to injure himself jogging back onto the field pic.twitter.com/p3nwmTUsfO
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 12, 2024
After the game, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed it was a torn Achilles.
"I mean, injuries are part of the game," Shanahan said. "They're always a big deal, and it's always tougher when you lose good guys like that."
It's unclear if the injury -- similar to one Aaron Rodgers suffered on the fourth play of the 2023 season -- will affect his availability at the start of next season.
"I'm sick to my stomach," 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said. "I'm still sick. I [saw] him at halftime, and I'm just crying, so hurt for him and obviously wanting to win this for him."
Greenlaw recorded 120 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks and four passes defended in 15 regular-season games in 2023. In the divisional-round matchup against the Green Bay Packers, he became the first 49ers player to record two interceptions in a playoff game since Eric Davis did so in the 1994 NFC Championship.
