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By Valentina Martinez
Contributing Sports Writer
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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk underwent tests that confirmed he suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sunday.
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Aiyuk sustained the injury late in the first half of the 49ers' Week 7 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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"We are worried it's an ACL," coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. "Not confirmed yet, but we will find out for sure tomorrow."
Monday's confirmation is devastating news for a 49ers team that has been plagued by injury on both sides of the ball.
Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension with San Francisco just a few days ahead of the season opener. His contract negotiations were one of the longest processes in the offseason.
Aiyuk didn't budge, until the receiver and his agent received a price they felt was worthy of his play. After Aiyuk and the 49ers came to an agreement, the Arizona State product became one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL.
Aiyuk ties Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill for fifth highest-paid wideout in the league.
Aiyuk season ends with just 374 receiving yards on 25 receptions with no scores. The receiver was off to a slow start since he had missed all of training camp.
Fans were waiting for his breakout game, but Aiyuk's injury prevented that from happening.
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Aiyuk's injury marks another key offensive weapon missing for the 49ers. San Francisco star running back Christian McCaffrey still hasn't played in a game this season. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings missed Sunday's game because of a hip injury.
Deebo Samuel also didn't take the field against Kansas City due to an illness.
"[He] struggled to breathe and so he kept trying to fight through it," Shanahan said of Samuel. "But once he was struggling with the breathing and everything, we had to shut him down."
With Aiyuk sidelined before the half, the 49ers turned to rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing to fill in for the missing starters.
However, it was evident San Francisco didn't have enough fight to beat the undefeated Chiefs. The 49ers fell short Sunday losing 24-18 to Kansas City.
Brock Purdy completed just 17 of 31 passes for 212 yards. He also threw an uncharacteristic three interceptions.
"We didn't really do anything good on offense," Shanahan said.
The 49ers sit at 3-4 and hope to reach .500 with a win over the Dallas Cowboys in their upcoming rivalry matchup in Week 8.
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