CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Emmanuel Moseley exited the 49ers’ locker room on crutches with a likely season-ending knee injury, and it conjured up not just sad feelings among teammates but angry memories, too.

That’s because the 49ers, even after a high-scoring road win, are heading to The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia for a third straight year with at least one player likely having torn an anterior cruciate knee ligament on an artificial-grass surface.

Two years ago, defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas sustained season-ending ACL tears in a rout at the New York Jets’ MetLife Field, where new, spongy turf was pointed at as a factor in their and others’ injuries. Last season, cornerback Jason Verrett tore his ACL in a season-opening win on Detroit’s artificial surface.

Tight end George Kittle vocally campaigned against fake turf in the past, and he did so again after Sunday’s 37-15 win at Carolina, where grass field was switched out before the 2021 season.

“The thing that just confuses me, if you’re not going to mandate grass, then why aren’t all turf fields the exact same, so guys get used to playing on the same turf everywhere,” Kittle said. “Every field has a different turf. NBA guys don’t play on different wood. What are we doing? Hockey players don’t play on different ice all the time.

“I just wish we were playing on a surface that was similar week in and week out, so your body wouldn’t be dealing with crappy turf.”

The NFC West-leading 49ers (3-2) play their next game on FieldTurf at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The 49ers were less than five minutes Sunday from avoiding a fake-turf storyline, but then Moseley went down covering a deep pass, and it further took the glee out of an injury-marred game.

Here are 10 other things that caught my eye (and ear) from the 49ers’ second straight win:

1. BOSA’S INJURY

As the 49ers defense surrendered its lone touchdown on the opening drive after halftime, Fred Warner wasn’t yet aware that Nick Bosa would be ruled out from the second half because of a groin injury. Coach Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers noticed Bosa laboring in the second half from tightness in his groin and would be ruled out from returning.

Bosa is well aware of that type of injury, and he’s expected to undergo an MRI on Monday, just as he did two years ago with his ACL tear from the Jets’ game/turf. He underwent core-muscle surgery to cut short his 2018 season at Ohio State, then rebounded as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for the 2019 49ers. A week ago, his older brother, Joey, sustained a groin injury requiring surgery.

Bosa entered as the NFL’s sack leader and did not add to his team-high total of six. But, in a silver lining, the 49ers wracked up six sacks against the Panthers, as recorded by Talanoa Hufanga (his career first), Fred Warner, Drake Jackson, Charles Omenihu, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and one split by Tashaun Gipson and Oren Burks. Jackson, a rookie, could fill in for Bosa in the starting lineup; Omenihu and Kerry Hyder Jr. could be needed to help on the interior in place of Arik Armstead (feet) and Javon Kinlaw (knee).

2. MOSELEY’S IMPACT

Moseley, a Greensboro, N.C. native, was enjoying a storybook homecoming, complete with his first career touchdown on a first-half pick-six, before getting hurt in essentially garbage time.

“It’s tragic it happened at the end of the game. I pray he’s doing good and not out too long,” said fellow starting cornerback Charvarius Ward, who had four pass breakups.

Added safety Talanoa Hufanga: “E-Man is such a special human being to me. He’s been a leader to me as I came in as a rookie. He always had that juice to him, energy and infectious smile and that just flows throughout the locker room. To see E-Man go down, it almost felt like Trey Lance, too. Those are both of my guys.” Three weeks ago, Lance sustained a season-ending ankle fracture.

Although veteran starter Jason Verrett began practicing last week, Atlanta’s FieldTurf might not be the best place to rush Verrett back for his first game since the 2021 opener. “We’d love to have that option, but we won’t change it based off of what happened to E-Man,” said Shanahan, acknowledging that Sam Womack III and Ambry Thomas are more ready to start.

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3. KICKER STATUS

Kicker Robbie Gould’s shoulder seemed to take the brunt of midfield collisions on back-to-back punt returns, but his left knee endured such a hard hit that he got ruled out in the third quarter. Gould’s knee was pretty swollen after the game and he’ll also require an MRI on Monday at The Greenbrier, where, two years ago, a truck carrying an MRI machine broke down and promoted the wounded 49ers to get exams at a hospital.

“I’ll be alright,” Gould said. “I tried to put (returner Raheem Blackshear) toward the sideline or cut him back,” Gould said of the 45- and 48-Yard returns. “For some reason, returners want to run me over. I guess I’m an easy target. They want something for Instagram I guess. But they didn’t score a touchdown.”

4. COLEMAN’S REPRISAL

Tevin Coleman scored the first and last touchdowns — on a 9-yard screen catch and a 5-yard run — but it was his 30-yard sideline catch on a third-and-4 conversion late in the first quarter that really wowed Shanahan, who wasn’t the only 49er happy last month that Coleman rejoined the team. Coleman played for the 49ers in 2019-20 before playing last year for the Jets, who cut him after 2022 training camp.

“It felt really good, just going out, getting touches and proving I still have it,” said Coleman, 29.

That he got the 30-yard pass from Garoppolo was surprising for a couple reasons. One, Coleman said they practiced that play call all week, and Garoppolo never threw his way, though the quarterback vowed he would. Sunday, Coleman noted a Panthers defensive back, “so Garoppolo) wasn’t supposed to throw it. But he definitely trusts me.”

Garoppolo called Coleman “Mr. Reliable.” Kittle specifically praised how well Coleman’s running style sets up blocks on the edge before his signature cut-back style yields yards. Coleman was a spectacular complement to Jeff Wilson Jr., who ran for a season-high 120 yards and a touchdown.

5. GAROPPOLO’S GROWTH

Garoppolo played a turnover-free game, which is always critical in boosting his win-loss record, which now is 35-17 all-time with the 49ers. He was 18-of-30 for 253 yards. He had his first two-touchdown effort since last December at Cincinnati.

Garoppolo’s first-series touchdown went to Coleman, and it was a third-and-goal scoring strike to Deebo Samuel that swung the momentum back in the 49ers’ favor. Garoppolo connected only twice on nine throws to Samuel, and although the first target almost got intercepted, the touchdown pass was “a dart,” Samuel said.

Said Garoppolo: “There were some drives where we just killed ourselves. Simple things we can fix. But today was a good day. We were rolling pretty good.” Shanahan commended Garoppolo for “some big plays, some big throws” before adding how it was “huge” to avoid turnovers.

6. KITTLE’S BIRTHDAY GIFTS

Kittle, celebrating his 29th birthday, got immediate attention and made a 5-yard catch on the game’s first snap. It was not a birthday surprise. “Kyle gives us the first 20 plays the night before every game. It’s always fun when I get the ball early, especially like that where I get a 3-yard pass and get to go hit somebody,” Kittle said.

He finished with five catches for 47 yards, and four catches came in the first two series. He fumbled away that fourth catch near midfield when hit by linebacker Damien Wilson. It was only his fourth fumble in 356 career touches. “I’m upset about it, obviously. You never want to fumble the ball,” Kittle said. “… I hate to be on that tape and I’ll definitely be pointed out as a guy for our next opponent.”

Kittle had a 10-yard, third-down conversion catch on the play preceding his fumble, and he had a 22-yard, third-down conversion on the opening touchdown drive.

7. JENNINGS’ BEST GAME

Jauan Jennings’ physical style made him a breakout threat, espcially on third downs last season. He bounced off a linebacker for a 32-yarder to the 3 and also had a third-down conversion. “I was telling some of the guys, we’ve just got to get the ball in his hands. Doesn’t even matter how we do it,” Garoppolo said. “He’s kind of our third-down specialist, makes those big plays and they just can’t tackle him. He’s a big body out there and he runs with purpose, that’s for sure.”

Samuel didn’t outright agree that Jennings could channel his “wide back” job as a receiving/running threat, and Samuel said he teased Jennings about heading for the sideline on his 32-yard catch rather than staying vertical up the field.

8. JIMMIE WARD’S CAMEO

Jimmie Ward’s season debut was short-lived as he broke his left hand on the defense’s first snap. He lined up with the starters as a hybrid linebacker, raced in untouched from the right edge, then got his left hand apparently trapped in center Pat Elflein’s block of Kevin Givens while Christian McCaffrey ran up the middle for a 9-yard gain.

Tashaun Gipson Sr. and Talanoa Hufanga remained — and will remain — the starting safeties. Gipson started the first four games while Ward was on Injured Reserve rehabilitating a hamstring strain. Midway through the second quarter, Ward returned to the 49ers sideline in street clothes, no cast on his injured left hand. Players are eligible to come off short-term IR twice in a season, in case Ward’s injury is not seemed a season-ending variety. A team can make only eight such short-term IR moves all season, however.

9. OFFENSIVE LINE HICCUP

The 49ers’ third possession stalled out on back-to-back gaffes by their linemen. Mike McGlinchey’s ineligible-man-downfield penalty wiped out a Kittle reception inside the 5, then left tackle Jaylon Moore yielded a third-down sack to Brian Burns. That made for a longer field-goal attempt but Gould still delivered from 49 yards to push the lead to 10-0. Like last game, Spencer Burford started at right guard before rotating with Daniel Brunskill.

“It’s tough, whenever those guys are mixing and matching like that,” said Garoppolo, who got sacked twice after none in Monday night’s win over the Rams. “I thought Jake (Brendel) did a great job. Across the board, those guys played great. That’s a good defense.”

The Panthers (1-4) lost for the 11th time in 12 games, and they played without their leading tackler (linebacker Frankie Luvu) and their starting safeties.

10. DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE

It became a one-score game in the third quarter when the 49ers yielded a 19-yard, fourth-down touchdown run by Christian McCaffrey, a play in which safety Talanoa Hufanga blamed himself and counted as one of his four missed tackles.

Cornerback Charvarius Ward countered: “It’s the NFL. They get paid, too. They’re millionaires, too, so they’ll make plays every now and then. We only gave up, what, one touchdown the past three weeks? We can be better but teams eventually will make plays against us.”

Actually, it was the second touchdowns the 49ers’ defense has allowed in the past four games, the other coming two weeks ago in Denver’s fourth-quarter comeback via a Melvin Gordon run.

That defense could enter Atlanta without three linemen — Bosa, Armstead, Kinlaw — as well as Moseley and Jimmie Ward, not to mention linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who’s on Injured Reserve with a knee sprain from Denver.

“Regardless of the guy that goes down, like Bosa, we have guys who can step up at every spot,” Hufanga said. “As you look at each spot on the depth chart, there’s always someone that’s ready to go in. That’s what we pride ourselves on, is building a depth chart that’s not just one-deep, but two-deep, three.”