49ers blame rash of injuries on ‘trash’ MetLife Stadium turf

The 49ers had some complaints about the new turf at MetLife Stadium.

San Francisco lost star edge-rusher Nick Bosa to what is believed to be a torn ACL. Fellow defensive lineman Solomon Thomas also may have suffered the same injury. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo sprained his ankle and running back Raheem Mostert injured his knee, both exiting at halftime.

Coach Kyle Shanahan felt the turf played a role in the injuries.

“I know that’s as many knee injuries and ankle stuff and people getting caught on the turf that I’ve ever been a part of,” Shanahan said. “From what I saw, the other team did, too. I know our players talked about it the entire game, just how sticky the turf was. I think that was the first time people played on it. That was something our guys were concerned about right away and the result definitely made that a lot stronger. Unfortunately, it’s a place we have to go back next week.”

The 49ers face the Giants at MetLife next week. The stadium had new turf installed this offseason. This is just the second time the Jets have been on the turf, holding one training camp practice at the stadium.

Niners defensive lineman Arik Armstead tweeted after the game: “@nfl fix this trash MetLife turf. 2020 is so wack.”

Armstead went further when speaking to reporters.

“I think the turf was pretty thick,” Armstead said. “Guys seemed to be getting stuck in the ground more regularly. A bunch of guys went down, wasn’t real fun to be a part of.”

There was a lot of hope and big talk for TE Chris Herndon entering this season, but he has been a nonfactor in two games. He had one catch for 5 yards on four targets Sunday with a drop in the end zone. He had six catches for 37 yards in Week 1.

“We had to play this week a certain way,” Gase said. “We were worried about letting those ends [rush] up the field. That’s why we were trying to keep it at third-and-short. We had some stuff up for him that we weren’t able to get to because the game got a little out of hand.”

The Jets lost the following players to injuries: WR Breshad Perriman (ankle), CB Quincy Wilson (concussion), center Connor McGovern (hamstring) and CB Arthur Maulet (groin). They all will undergo evaluations Monday.

LB Avery Williamson played in his first game since the end of the 2018 season, but did not start. Williamson missed last year with a torn ACL. … Alec Ogletree started at inside linebacker along with Neville Hewitt. … RB La’Mical Perine, a fourth-round pick, made his NFL debut, rushing three times for 17 yards. He missed Week 1 with an ankle injury.