Dre Greenlaw’s injury in the middle of the Super Bowl was hugely significant, and Patrick Mahomes realized that right away as a new video shows.
Greenlaw, a top linebacker for the 49ers, tore his Achilles running onto the field in the first half and missed the rest of the game.
And new footage from Inside the NFL shows Mahomes’ stunned reaction to the injury, as he tells offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, ‘Hey! 57 got hurt over there.’
The Chiefs’ offense struggled badly in the first half, scoring just three points, before Kansas City exploited Greenlaw’s absence after the break and went on to win the game.
On the other sideline, Greenlaw’s teammates can be seen in the video upsettingly reacting to him going down.
Patrick Mahomes quickly pointed out Dre Greenlaw’s injury to his offensive coordinator
Meanwhile, the 49ers’ Fred Warner was devastated to see his teammate go down
Greenlaw injured his left Achilles while making his way back onto the field in the first half
Fellow linebacker Fred Warner was right next to Greenlaw when he crumpled to the ground, and screamed ‘No!’ as he realized the severity of the situation.
A bemused coach Kyle Shanahan also said, ‘Did Dre just get hurt running out on the field?’
And later, tight end George Kittle later said, ‘Did Dre really tear his Achilles? That’s depressing.’
Greenlaw left the game with three combined tackles.
Ultimately, his absence proved fatal for the 49ers as they fell 25-22 in overtime.
Coach Kyle Shanahan was also shocked to find out how the linebacker got injured
The 26-year-old 49ers linebacker was bouncing on his toes on the sideline before the injury
The 49ers struck first in the final period as Jake Moody nailed a 27-yard field goal.
But due to the overtime rules, Patrick Mahomes and Co. got the ball back and ended the game with a short touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman.
The game was the second time in the last four years that the 49ers had lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Greenlaw also played in that contest, Super Bowl LIV, and had two assisted tackles.