When San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati was carted to the locker room during his team's Week 11 loss to the New Orleans Saints, initial fears were that he'd suffered a season-ending knee injury. It turns out those fears were mostly unfounded.

Iupati did suffer a knee injury, but it likely won't end his season. According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, Iupati suffered a sprained MCL.

Iupati's timetable for return is unknown, as is the severity of the injury. Strained MCLs often require several weeks to heal, so Iupati may not be a lock to return to the field before the end of the season.

Adam Snyder is expected to replace Iupati in the 49ers' starting lineup.