49ers injury report: Michael Crabtree, Eric Reid, Aldon Smith among several injured players

The San Francisco 49ers season from hell continued in more ways than one on Saturday against the San Diego Chargers. The 49ers entered the game with an extensive injury report, and added several names to it on Saturday.

Eric Reid

The 49ers free safety left the game following a concussion. This marked his first concussion of 2014, but followed two during his rookie season. I went back to look at the game, and it is hard to see where exactly the concussion occurred. I went through each of Reid's 11 snaps, and only one play stood out even a little bit. At the 7:32 mark of the first quarter, Chargers running back Branden Oliver broke a tackle in the backfield, and scooted through the line to get a first down. At the end of the play, Reid dove in at Oliver. He got up, but did not seem woozy or anything that might necessarily indicate a concussion.

Reid was in for five more plays after that, and in none of the plays did he seem to make the kind of contact that would lead to a concussion. It does not require a huge hit, but the final five plays did not see him hit anybody. He tried for a tackle once, but his head never made contact with anything. At the end of that second drive, Perrish Cox intercepted Rivers. The 49ers next defensive series came in the second quarter, and at that point, Craig Dahl was in at free safety.

Whenever the concussion occurred, it is certainly disheartening to see a third concussion in two years. I would hope the team just sits him out this week, considering there is nothing to play for in Week 17. It remains to be seen what to make of Reid's long-term future in football with these numerous concussions. We'll likely just be left to wait and see what 2015 brings.

Wide receivers

The 49ers entered the game with Stevie Johnson out with a knee injury, and Michael Crabtree limited with his own knee injury. Crabtree did not start the game, and only eventually got in the game because the team was running out of bodies. Bruce Ellington left the game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury, and Brandon Lloyd suffered a groin injury. The play that saw Quinton Patton fumble the ball in overtime likely would have been in the hands of Ellington if he had been healthy.

The 49ers only have one game remaining, this Sunday against Arizona. Given all the wide receiver injuries, it would not shock me if at some point one or two were placed on injured reserve to clear a roster spot or two for more bodies. Wide receiver Lance Lewis is on the practice squad right now, so the team could elect to promote him for Sunday if they need help.

Defensive injuries

Aside from Reid's injury, Aldon Smith and Leon McFadden both suffered head injuries late in Saturday's game. Smith was subsequently cleared and returned to the game, while McFadden did not. Depending on how McFadden's status develops through the week, this could mean more playing time for Marcus Cromartie in the dime role behind Perrish Cox, Chris Culliver and Dontae Johnson.

Aaron Lynch suffered a leg injury in the third quarter, leading to more playing time for Corey Lemonier. Lynch was in and out after the injury and will likely show up on this week's injury report. Lynch and Skuta primarily split the starting role with Brooks sidelined by his thumb injury. Wednesday's practice report will give us a better idea of Brooks's status for Sunday.

Miscellaneous

Raymond Ventrone suffered a groin injury in the second half, and was out the rest of the game. Given the often nagging nature of groin injuries, he would be an IR candidate for Week 17 ... Alex Boone, Marcus Martin and Mike Iupati all suffered small injuries during the game. Martin missed one snap, while Boone and Iupati did not miss any snaps.