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Fooch's update: Matt Barrows said initial prognosis is sprained MCL, like Mike Iupati
Initial diagnosis for Joe Staley is sprained MCL, same injury that Mike Iupati is dealing w/. Staley will miss next week's game v. Seattle.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) December 2, 2013
The only significant negative of the 49ers 23-13 win over the Rams was the loss of left tackle Joe Staley in the first quarter. Staley suffered a right knee injury, departed the field under his own power, went to the locker room and was quickly ruled out for the game.
After the game, Jim Harbaugh did not have any comments on Staley, but we did have this:
#49ers LT Joe Staley (knee) told @klynch49 ... "I'm not talking about it. We will find out." Harbaugh offered no update on Staley's injury.
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) December 2, 2013
I suspect Staley will undergo an MRI Monday morning to determine the state of his knee. Jim Harbaugh will meet with the media on Monday, but I don't expect much in the way of confirmation from him. My guess is information leaks out, and we go from there.
The fact that Staley did not want to talk about it is not exactly a good sign. When he was seen screaming on the field and proved to be alright, he tweeted out joking about it. This doesn't mean he has suffered a particularly bad injury, but he's obviously taking it very seriously. A knee injury covers a wide range of possibilities. If it is ligament related, it could be a basic sprain that maybe costs him a game or two at most, it could be a more serious sprain that costs him a month or more, or it could be a tear that ends his season. We don't know for certain, so we'll wait for more information.
When Staley departed, the 49ers moved Alex Boone from right guard to left tackle, and moved Joe Looney in at right guard. That leaves Daniel Kilgore as the only reserve offensive lineman while Mike Iupati is out. If Staley is going to miss any time, the 49ers could either look to their practice squad for Al Netter or Carter Bykowski, or they could look to free agency and maybe bring back a guy like Leonard Davis. They have some options, but we'll wait and see what is necessary.