By Robert MarviShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberFor the second year in a row, the San Francisco 49ers have been hit hard by injuries. It has seemed like one key player after another has gone down with some sort of ailment from week to week, and some have been slammed with season-ending injuries.
In 2025, defensive end Nick Bosa and middle linebacker Fred Warner suffered ACL and ankle injuries, respectively, that prematurely ended their seasons. Meanwhile, men such as quarterback Brock Purdy, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall and tight end George Kittle have all missed multiple games. Yet somehow the Niners find themselves with a 9-4 record and a chance to finish first in the NFC West.
A playoff spot is not quite a lock for the short-handed 49ers. But Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, who piloted them to the last Super Bowl championship in the 1994 season, believes that they will be a handful in the postseason, and he cited the team's coaching staff and overall culture as the reasons it can be successful in January.
“How well are they coached to lose all their stars on defense?” Young said while on the “Dan Patrick Show.” They have people out most of the season on offense and all of a sudden Mac Jones is a guy that everybody wants in the league. Just like Sam Darnold was. Let’s just tip our cap to the coaching, number 1, and let’s tip our cap to the culture of the place. Locker room, the leadership. Obviously they’ve got guys in the room that pull things together and so, how good are they? Good enough to threaten, and make people really—you talk about a tough out and they’re going to be in the playoffs. I think you can almost count on that. And so, who wants to play the 49ers? Nobody. So, for where they are with the personnel and what’s happened, it’s pretty remarkable. I think we’ve got to tip our cap to really everyone in the organization right now, to be 9-4.”
Read more: Browns Defender Slams 49ers Jauan Jennings For Alleged On-Field Behavior
With Purdy forced to sit out eight games due to a toe injury, Jones, who had previously been dismissed as a bust, came in and played excellent football, throwing for 2,151 yards and 13 touchdowns while completing 69.6% of his pass attempts. In fact, he played so well that some have called for him to remain San Francisco's starter, especially after Purdy threw three interceptions in the first half of the team's win over the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 24.
San Francisco has gotten to this point despite being short-handed thanks to a team effort. Kittle is, as usual, playing Pro Bowl-caliber ball with 37 catches, 396 yards and five touchdowns in eight games. Jennings has stepped up when needed, and star running back Christian McCaffrey has taken on a huge load and is on his way to becoming the first player to ever post 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in two different seasons.
...Much credit should also go to the Niners' defense, which has kept them in one piece, as well as defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Saleh, who had previously been their defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020 before leaving to become the New York Jets' head coach, has gotten the Niners to play relentlessly on defense, especially in crucial moments, while embracing the "next man up" mentality.
Read more: Former Steelers Player Rips Into Pittsburgh After Loss to Bills
As of now, the 49ers are in third place in the NFC West, but they're just half a game behind the Seattle Seahawks and the first-place Los Angeles Rams. They have finally reached their bye week, which will give them an opportunity to rest and prepare for a final push that could send them to the playoffs.
No one may be picking them to reach Super Bowl LX, which will take place at Levi's Stadium, their home arena. But they can at least provide themselves and their fans with some real hope that they can finally win their sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy next season if the football gods finally give them a break in the injury department.
For more on the 49ers and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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