SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -Cornerback Nate Clements was inactive Sunday for the San Francisco 49ers with a broken thumb, missing the first game of his eight-year career and ending his streaks of 116 straight starts and 124 games played.
Clements’ streaks were the NFL’s second longest among cornerbacks, trailing only Tampa Bay’s Ronde Barber, who has started 147 consecutive games and played in 172. Clements broke his thumb last week in his homecoming to Buffalo, where he spent his first six NFL seasons.
Clements underwent surgery Tuesday to insert a pin and two screws into his thumb, and he missed each of the 49ers’ practices this week for the first time since signing an $80 million free agent deal with San Francisco before last season. Clements said he still hoped to play against the New York Jets with a cast on his hand, but was listed among the 49ers’ inactive players Sunday.
ald Strickland replaced Clements in the starting lineup.
The Niners also played without kick returner Allen Rossum, who sprained his ankle two weeks ago at Dallas, and rookie receiver Josh Morgan, who missed his fourth straight game with a groin injury. Safety Dashon Goldson missed his sixth straight game with a knee injury.
Linebacker David Harris returned to the Jets’ starting lineup after missing five games with a groin injury. Harris led the Jets with 52 tackles when he was injured in late October.
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