Disaster has struck the San Francisco 49ers.
Minutes into Sunday's season-opening tilt with the Panthers, the team lost first-round linebacker Reuben Foster to a right ankle injury. The 49ers downgraded him to out.
Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that x-rays were negative.
Foster was carted off the field after the injury, silencing a debut that was already filled with promise. Minutes earlier, Foster looked like a comfortable veteran, moving swiftly into space to diagnose and nearly pick off a pass from Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Showing extreme athleticism and coverage skills, the 6-foot-1, 228-pound Foster already stands as one of the team's most important young players. His loss would be tough to mask over for this up-and-coming front seven.