49ers Player Out for Season After Painful Injury

The San Francisco 49ers won again on Sunday but lost a key contributor to their defense.

Gracen Halton, a rookie standout across the 49ers’ defensive line, was carted off the field during Sunday’s 38-17 beat down of the Las Vegas Raiders. Following the game, Halton was diagnosed with a severe broken ankle and will miss the remainder of the season.

When Halton was being carted off the field late in the game while wearing an air cast on his leg, the entire 49ers team – and several Raiders – came onto the field to offer support to the 22-year-old fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma.

#49ers rookie DT Gracen Halton leaves on a cart in the closing minutes.

The entire team, including HC Kyle Shanahan, greets him before he leaves the field. pic.twitter.com/oVFm6tKSLK

— Harrison Rich (@harrisonrich_) November 9, 2026

The rookie DT had been playing well, recording 15 total tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a touchdown in the first eight games of his professional career. His strong performance throughout the first two and a half months of the season coincided with the 49ers being atop the NFC West division with a 7-1 record.

Following the game, San Francisco’s head coach Kyle Shanahan told assembled media, “(Halton’s) played at a very high level as a rookie. He’s had an awesome seven or eight games here and we’re going to miss him a lot.

“ … I know the guys love him too. He’s an awesome guy.”

Losing Halton for the remainder of the season certainly isn’t ideal, but the 49ers have already overcome injuries to Ricky Pearsall, Mike Evans, Nick Bosa, and Deebo Samuel Jr., among others. Each time a Niner’s gone down, another one has stepped up, and the team hasn’t missed a beat.

That could be why Polymarket bettors continue to ride with the 49ers. Traders have the 49ers and Buffalo Bills sharing the best odds to win this season’s Super Bowl. Each team’s odds are at 14%, just ahead of the Chicago Bears (12%).

San Francisco’s first game without Halton in their march toward the Super Bowl is next Sunday, Nov. 15, in Dallas versus the Cowboys.

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