The injury bug has once again hit the San Francisco 49ers, dampening the mood on an otherwise perfect outing in Melbourne, Australia.The 49ers shutdown the early Super Bowl favourite Los Angeles Rams on Thursday in front of a packed-out crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the NFL’s first ever outing Down Under.Stribling’s NFL debut ended with an ankle injury in the first half with no passes caughtGettyThe Niners cruised to a statement 27-7 win which was only somewhat marred by an injury to wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling.In the first half of the NFC West contest, Stribling, the 33rd overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, appeared to suffer a left ankle injury.The injury looked fairly innocuous on replays, with the rookie suddenly ending his route against Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie before pulling up and limping on one leg.He needed help to get to the sideline medical tent and was eventually carted to the X-ray room.NFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.MORE INFO & SIGN-UP HERE!This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.Stribling had already left earlier in the game, returned briefly, and then went down again without contact.After requiring help on the sideline, he soon rode a cart to the locker room and was later ruled out for the remainder of the contest.“You can just tell that’s bad,” one fan said. “Prayers up man.”“Prayers for Stribling,” a second fan added. “Man you hate to see that.”“Stribling non-contact??? You can’t make this up,” another fan wrote on X.Kyle Shanahan provides update on De’Zhaun Stribling ankle injuryBut before the Niners fly out of Australia, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan shared an encouraging update on Stribling’s injury status.Stribling injured his ankle in the first quarter, briefly returned, and later went down againGettyThe rookie WR was helped off the field and later ruled outGettyView Tweet: https://t.co/8ZMiZB9iKs“They checked his Achilles,” Shanahan said. “They said that was intact, but they’re not exactly sure of the magnitude of the ankle injury.”He will undergo further medical testing and an MRI to determine the severity of the injury once the 49ers get back to the Bay Area.Stribling did not make a single catch in his NFL debut, but impressed in preseason and training camp to earn himself a bigger role in the 49ers offense.However, the former Ole Miss wideout had already been dealing with niggling injuries, working through hamstring tightness and a shoulder issue over the summer.Fortunately the Niners did not miss him against the Rams, with other receivers Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, and Demarcus Robinson stepping up in a big way and catching touchdown passes.Stribling wasn’t the only 49er to leave Australia with an injury.Tight end Jake Tonges also left in the second quarter and did not return because of a knee injury, which Shanahan later said looked serious.“It wasn’t good,” Shanahan said. “It’s not an ACL. It’s MCL I believe, but there’s some issues with it that we got to see how it is. There’s a little more information to it, but we don’t know yet.”It comes after the team lost defensive lineman Alfred Collins for the season with a torn patellar tendon before the opener, while Ricky Pearsall is also out for the year.On Thursday, the 49ers proved that when healthy they can beat anybody. Shanahan will be no doubt hoping that injuries don’t derail another season, with a home debut at Levi’s Stadium against the Miami Dolphins slated for Week 2.Join talkSPORT’s dedicated US Sports YouTube channel The S* Word every Tuesday and Thursday for our brand new NFL shows.On Tuesdays, Will Gavin and US senior reporter Brian T. Smith will debate the biggest talking points from the NFL weekend, while on Thursdays Efe Obada joins the crew to talk to players past and present and break down what to look for across the league.