Two Key 49ers Starters Dealt With Significant Injuries in the Super Bowl
Well this is a news bomb.
San Francisco 49ers starting defensive lineman Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave were dealing with significant injuries in the Super Bowl. General manager John Lynch confirmed and revealed the injuries that the two key starters were gutting it out for a while at his exit press conference on Tuesday.
"You look at this defense, Arik Armstead, I think you guys learned that he battled through a torn meniscus," said Lynch. "He made a decision to play because he knew the opportunity. Javon Hargrave had a similar decision with a torn thumb ligament, and decided we had too rare of an opportunity."
The injuries that they sustained are gnarly. Armstead suffered it during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Since that game, he missed time due to it along with his foot injury, so he was really pushing it for a chance at a championship. Hargrave, however, is unclear when he suffered his injury. His last game missed was against the Cardinals in Week 15 and that was due to a hamstring.
Armstead and Hargrave are absolute studs for playing through it. There would not have been any shame at all if they wanted to address their ailments when they were initially sustained. But these two refused it. They knew that this season they had a phenomenal opportunity and decided it was worth the pain and the risk.
"That's the thing that people don't see at home," Lynch said. "The sacrifice that people are making. I was really proud of our defense. The way they competed in the last game, that looked like how I envisioned it looking. We were getting after them."
The 49ers' defense was absolutely incredible in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. To hold Patrick Mahomes and that offense on every drive except for too is impressive. As for Armstead, he is confirmed to be getting surgery at some point this offseason. I would imagine that Hargrave joins him as well.
