The San Francisco 49ers will be holding their breath for the next 24 hours. Inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman went down with a non-contact injury to his left leg, and he confirmed to Matt Maiocco that he will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury.
Medical folks on Twitter have suggested the worst case is a ruptured Achilles tendon. Ian Rapoport reported after the game that the initial fear is a torn Achilles. Bowman was carted to the locker room after the injury, and was walking around after the game wearing a walking booth.
If Bowman does have a ruptured Achilles, he will undergo surgery and be placed on season-ending injured reserve. That is an extensive injury that ends seasons. If that ends up the case, an optimistic timeline for return would be training camp next year. A year ago, running back Arian Foster suffered a torn Achilles on October 25, and wide receiver Steve Smith, Sr. suffered a torn Achilles on November 1. Both players opened the season on the Active/PUP list. Foster was activated from the list on July 31, and Smith was activated on August 17. So, Bowman realistically could be back in time for training camp next year.
Hopefully this is not a rupture, and it is simply a strain of some sort that will just require some rest. But, it is best to prepare for the worst given the nature of the non-contact injury.