PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : 49ers Lose Dent for Most of Season

San Francisco 49ers Coach George Seifert said defensive end Richard Dent, one of the team’s most important offseason acquisitions, tore his right medial collateral ligament during a fourth-quarter pileup in Sunday’s 24-17 loss at Kansas City.

Dent was expected to undergo surgery as early as Tuesday and could miss most of the year. Seifert said the team hoped Dent could return late in the season but that determination couldn’t be made until six weeks into his rehabilitation.

Left guard Jesse Sapolu pulled his right hamstring while blocking on a field goal try Sunday and will miss Sunday’s game against the Rams.

The 49ers (1-1) have lost four starters to injury in the first two games, including three members of the offensive line. Sapolu joins tackle Harris Barton (torn triceps) and guard Ralph Tamm (torn arch) on the sidelines. Sapolu and Barton each went to the Pro Bowl last year.

Barton, expected to miss up to 10 weeks, and Tamm, out indefinitely, both were hurt in San Francisco’s opening 44-14 win over the Raiders.

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New Orleans Saints running back Mario Bates, the No. 2 draft pick this year, will miss up to six weeks after having his jaw broken by teammate Lorenzo Neal.

Bates and Neal went out after the Saints’ 38-24 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday night, ending up at Club 57, a lounge owned by former Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson.

“Neither one of them are quite sure as to exactly what happened,” coach Jim Mora said. “Things got out of hand and we’ve got a player with a broken jaw.”

Bates was hospitalized Monday to have the jaw surgically repaired. Mora said the extent of the injury is not known.

“There’s nothing further that’s going to occur from a standpoint of hard feelings,” Mora said.

The incident happened after midnight inside the club, Mora said. He said he did not think the players were drunk, but said they did not know what prompted Neal to hit Bates.

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A broken collarbone probably will sideline Detriot Lions wide receiver Anthony Carter for at least six to eight weeks. Carter, a key veteran addition to a promising wide receiving corps, broke his collarbone and scapula during Sunday’s 10-3 loss at Minnesota.

Carter, in his 10th NFL season, sustained the injury on his only reception of the game--an 18-yard gain over the middle in the second quarter.

Receiver Johnnie Morton, the Lions’ first-round draft choice out of USC, was not active for Sunday’s game. With Carter out, Morton could be in uniform for Monday’s game at Dallas.

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Giants running back Rodney Hampton could be sidelined two to three weeks after injuring his kidney and back during New York’s 20-17 victory over the Phoenix Cardinals.

Hampton remained hospitalized Monday in Phoenix. He sustained a bruised kidney and back contusions Sunday when he took a helmet to the back on a tackle midway through the third quarter. Hampton is tentatively scheduled to return to New York on Wednesday or Thursday.

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The Chargers put defensive tackle Blaise Winter (broken left leg) and punter John Kidd (hamstring) on injured reserve, meaning they’re lost for the season. They replaced Winter by agreeing to terms with John Parrella, a second-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1993. The Chargers haven’t replaced Kidd yet, but have been speaking with seven-year veteran Bryan Wagner, who most recently was with Green Bay. . . . Cardinal coach Buddy Ryan said he will announce Wednesday whether Jim McMahon, Steve Beuerlein or Jay Schroeder will start at quarterback. McMahon replaced Beuerlein during a 20-17 loss to the New York Giants last Sunday. . . . Buffalo left tackle John Fina sprained his knee against New England and might not be ready for Sunday’s game at Houston. . . . Miami rookie running back Irving Spikes, who came off the bench to gain 70 yards in 13 carries at Green Bay, might miss the Jets’ game with a strained right medial collateral ligament suffered on his final carry Sunday. . . . The Cowboys got good news when a feared ligament tear in wide receiver-kick returner Kevin Williams’ right knee turned out to be just a severe sprain.