49ers' Brutal Luck Continues as Two Starters Injured Against Bears

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San Francisco 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan

The San Francisco 49ers cannot seem to catch a break from injuries, as they lost two more starters against the Chicago Bears.

San Francisco needed a get-right game against the Bears, but they also needed to avoid injuries. When it comes to the latter, the bad news continues as both OL Ben Bartch and DL Yetur Matos-Gross both had to leave the game.

Bartch, who is starting in place of the injured Aaron Banks, went down first with an ankle issue. He was eventually carted to the locker room with a questionable designation.

“Injury: Starting LG Ben Bartch (leg/knee) went down and limped off the field and is being carted to the locker room. Bartch had a solid game last week filling in for Aaron Banks. Spencer Burford is in at Left Guard,” @49ers_edits updated on X.

Matos-Gross then went down with a knee injury after earning a sack in the game. Matos-Gross has started on the edge with fellow DE Leonard Floyd due to Nick Bosa being out.

“#49ers DE Yetur Gross-Matos pointed to right knee when talking with coaches after leaving medical tent,” San Francisco Chronicle writer Eric Branch wrote on X.

San Francisco Looks to Third-String Players

Considering that both Matos-Gross and Bartch both entered the season as backups, their injuries highlight how thin the 49ers are right now. San Francisco entered the game with four defensive lineman out or on injured reserve, and Matos-Gross could be the fifth.

The 26-year-old defensive end has been solid in a minor role, earning two sacks in 7 appearances. Bartch has shown promise as well on the offensive line, as Pro Football Focus has graded him at 78.0 over the 2024 season.

The Niners will need Robert Beal Jr. and Sam Okuayinonu to help at defensive end, while they will turn to Spencer Burford to replace Bartch.

Burford has shown that he can get the job done, as he was the team’s starting guard during the 2023 season. The third-year guard has 32 starts to his name, including three nods in the playoffs.

49ers HC Speaks on Bartch

Coming into the game against the Bears, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Bartch’s role and time with the team. Concerningly, Bartch has injury history with with a severe knee dislocation but has shown promise in his development and first start with the team against the Buffalo Bills.

“I thought he did a good job [against Buffalo.] We were excited to get him to play with us, he hadn’t yet. We’ve had him here for a little bit over a year. For his first game, I thought he did a real good job… “I think [we needed to build back his strength] little bit. When we got him, I thought he was pretty good, and we didn’t have any injuries and we didn’t have a need to play him. But we felt fortunate to get him and he got to learn our offense a little bit and he’s been real good here through the offseason,” Shanahan said on December 6.

It’s great that he’s developing into another reliable offensive lineman, but the 49ers and Bartch may be facing a serious setback after being carted off against Chicago.

Evan Reier is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. He previously covered sports for the Montana Standard and was a managing editor for Outsider. More about Evan Reier