The San Francisco 49ers' resounding 35-11 victory over the St. Louis Rams on "Thursday Night Football" came with a potentially serious cost.
On what proved to be the 49ers' last offensive snap of the night, left tackle Joe Staley appeared to injure his knee. His loud screams were picked up by the television cameras, while players and coaches from both teams came out to offer support.
Staley eventually was helped up and taken to the locker room by two 49ers staffers. San Francisco already came into the game banged up, with linebacker Patrick Willis and cornerback Nnamdi Asomughaout of the lineup. Linebacker Aldon Smith also is away from the team indefinitely while he addresses his substance-abuse problem.
UPDATE: Early signs on Staley's injury are promising.
49ers coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters that he thinks the team dodged a bullet with the injury, and NFL Media Columnist Mike Silver reported on "NFL Total Access" that Staley was able to walk from San Francisco's locker room to the team bus after the game.
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