Cannon suffers concussion on kickoff
SEATTLE — The 49ers’ loss in Seattle on Sunday began on a scary note.
On the opening kickoff, special-teams gunner Trenton Cannon’s head was bent back and he suffered a concussion when he ran into the thigh of teammate Talanoa Hufanga. Cannon, who left the field on a stretcher and was placed in an ambulance, was in stable condition at a Seattle hospital, where he stayed Sunday night.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Cannon avoided a serious injury.
“Concussions are very concerning, but all the stuff you’re really worried about, he’s cleared,” Shanahan said. “He remembers it all. It’s a concussion. They’ll keep him overnight for that.”
Cannon was down on the field for nearly 10 minutes and was encircled by most of his teammates, many of them on a knee in prayer.
“I think everybody” is affected, left tackle Trent Williams said. “It messes with everybody. You’d be lying to say it doesn’t, especially when you see an injury like that, someone leaving in an ambulance on a stretcher. It’s pretty tough to deal with, especially as closeknit as this locker room is. … We’re praying for Trent. We heard that everything is pretty good for him.”
Everett’s charity: The 49ers might have awarded a game ball to an unexpected recipient if they had won: Seattle’s Gerald Everett.
The tight end did his best to keep the 49ers in the game by gift-wrapping two turnovers at the goal line in the second half.
First, Everett dropped what appeared to be a walk-in, 5-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and kicked the ball after it bounced off his body, allowing cornerback K’Waun Williams to catch it on the carom. Later, with the 49ers trailing 30-23 with four minutes left, Everett fumbled after he caught a shovel pass on 3rd-and-goal from the 2 and the 49ers recovered.
“Heartbreaking day,” Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said. “He is a tough, competitive, come-through guy, and those plays just went the other way.”
Seattle became the first team in 20 years to win a game in which it committed two turnovers inside its opponent’s 5-yard line, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Bad stuff: The 49ers went for it on 4th-and-1 at their own 39 trailing 30-23 late in the third quarter.
The play call: A zone read with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and backup running back JaMycal Hasty that was stuffed for no gain when Garoppolo, who is not known for his mobility, kept the ball.
What happened on the play?
“It was supposed to be a zone read,” Garoppolo said, smiling. “Some s— happened.”
The 49ers caught a break because the play didn’t count: A pre-snap penalty on center Alex Mack for an illegal snap allowed them to punt on 4thand-6 instead of losing possession on downs.
Briefly: Tight end George Kittle had the first two-touchdown game of his 62-game career. … With 66 rushing yards, Elijah Mitchell moved into third place on the franchise’s rushing list among rookies. Mitchell trails Vic Washington (811 yards, 1971) and Ken Willard (778, 1965). … Nick Bosa had a sack in his fourth straight game; Aldon Smith (2012) was the last 49ers player to do that.