49ers QB Alex Smith to miss Monday night game
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| 49ers backup QB Colin Kaepernick will reportedly make his first career start Monday night against the Chicago Bears. (US Presswire) |
San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith will not play Monday night against Chicago due to the concussion he suffered last week against St. Louis.
"49ers quarterback Alex Smith has been declared out for this evening's game after being evaluated by team medical director Dr. Dan Garza," the team said in a statement released Monday morning.
The news was first reported by ESPN and then confirmed by CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora.
Smith participated in practice all week wearing a black non-contact jersey, but there were no indications he was going to miss Monday's game.
Asked Wednesday how he felt compared to any other week, Smith said: “The same. Totally the same.”
With Smith out, backup Colin Kaepernick will make his first career start. He was 11 of 17 in relief after Smith left last week's game with the injury. Kaepernick started slow -- completing just 2 of his first 7 passes -- but improved as the game went along. The team's second round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft has appeared in nine games in his career, completing 19 of 21 passes for 241 yards without a TD or INT.
Smith passed the initial test from an independent neurologist, which allowed him to take part in practice, but said Wednesday he still needed to go through a contact portion to make him available for Monday.
Follow 49ers reporter Kyle Bonagura on Twitter @CBS49ers and @KyleBonagura.
