San Francisco wide receiver Jauan Jennings has been playing with five broken ribs as well as ankle and shoulder injuries, he told reporters after the 49ers’ 30-19 loss to the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Jennings, who has missed two games for the 49ers (4-2), was listed as questionable after being limited in practice and finished with one reception on three targets for 7 yards on Sunday.
“You know playing with injuries, it’s part of it,” Jennings said. “You got high and low ankle sprains. You got shoulders at 20%. You got ribs, five broken ribs. It is what it is. You keep playing and nobody cares. Keep playing. That’s what we do.”
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged after the game that Jennings has been dealing with injuries.
“(Jennings) hasn’t had some full-speed practices,” Shanahan said. “I was pumped that he was able to go today. But no, he is struggling to go every week right now.”
Jennings, 28, said he injured his ribs in a Week 4 home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He now has 10 catches on 22 targets for 136 yards and one touchdown in four games.
“It’s football. I love pain, I wouldn’t be playing this sport if I didn’t,” Jennings said. “That’s part of it. You’ve got to enjoy every little thing that comes with it, and pain is one of those.”
San Francisco is dealing with injuries to critical players such as All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who was lost for the season due to a severe right ankle injury on Sunday. The receiving corps has been hit hard, with wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jordan Watkins out on Sunday because of knee injuries, and Brandon Aiyuk (knee) hasn’t played all season. All-Pro tight end George Kittle (hamstring) has been on injured reserve since Game 1 and is expected to return to practice this week.
“(Jennings) didn’t have to play in this game, and he chose to, and he fought through some stuff,” quarterback Mac Jones said. “He’s a fighter and that’s the DNA of our team is his personality, so, we really love him. He did a good job, and like I said, we just missed on a few things, but it wasn’t our day and, hopefully, we have a lot of good days ahead.”
Left tackle Trent Williams, a three-time first-team All-Pro and 11-time Pro Bowl selection, echoed Jennings’ sentiment that pain and injuries are part of football.
“Mac (Jones) just took a shot in his ribs. We’re all going through something,” said Williams, 37, in his 15th season. “Obviously, you never want to see anybody hurt. But, it’s the game — it’s the game we play. I was super, super happy (Jennings) gritted it out and suited up for us. We really need guys like that. But it’s part of the game.”
For his career, Jennings has 165 receptions on 262 targets for 2,074 yards and 14 touchdowns in 64 regular-season games (21 starts). He also has 20 catches for 221 yards and one TD in nine playoff games as a reserve.
San Francisco selected Jennings in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Tennessee.
–Field Level Media
