Patrick Willis Will Miss Rest of Season with Toe Injury

The San Francisco 49ers' quest to return to the postseason just underwent a major blow, as star linebacker Patrick Willis is done for the season. The team announced the news on Tuesday afternoon:

"The San Francisco 49ers placed LB Patrick Willis on the injured reserve list and signed RB Alfonso Smith to a one-year contract."

Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports first tweeted the news Tuesday morning:

Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area reported the same:

Willis talked about the injury, according to the 49ers' official Twitter feed:

Maiocco added more from the linebacker:

Michael Silver of NFL.com weighed in on the impact of Willis' loss compared with another big injury to San Francisco's rival in Seattle:

Placing Willis on injured reserve is a huge loss for the 49ers. The seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro selection finished with over 100 tackles in each of his first four seasons though various injuries have hampered him the past two years. 

Still, a healthy Willis is one of the top defensive players in football, and his absence will be greatly felt as the 5-4 Niners battle for a wild-card spot in the NFC.