Sometimes, all you can do is throw up your hands in exasperation when your team faces an injury crisis like Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers are dealing with this season. But Shanahan and company haven’t done that. Instead, the backups have fought their way to an impressive 6-3 start to the season.
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A couple of weeks ago, an insane graphic popped up during the broadcast of the 49ers’ loss to the Houston Texans: since Shanahan came on board in 2017, San Francisco has lost 2,036 player games to injury, by far the most in the league. They had an especially bad “year from hell” season in 2024 with all the injuries they suffered. The law of averages would have suggested they’d be among the healthiest teams in 2025. But no.
In Week 9, the 49ers earned their fifth win with backup QB Mac Jones under center, but once again, the W was clouded by injury news. After losing All-Pro edge Nick Bosa to a season-ending torn ACL, the 49ers also lost their first-round pick, edge Mykel Williams, to the same injury on Sunday. Their backup, Bryce Huff, has also missed the last few games.
And yet, San Francisco is hanging in there in arguably the best division in football. And Colin Cowherd is impressed, to say the least.
“My Coach of the Year is Kyle Shanahan. He’s winning with peanut brittle, baling wire, and duct tape,” Cowherd said on his podcast, The Herd.
“They have no healthy players. The 49ers are [6-3] with a backup quarterback. Third down offense, despite a bad offensive line, is top 3 in the league. Basically, the offense is Christian McCaffrey, and cross your fingers. This is one of the greatest coaching jobs you’ll ever see. They play the Rams this weekend, who are fully staffed and ready to go, yet it’s only a field goal spread.”
Not only has the Niners’ pass rush been decimated, but they’ve had injuries in nearly every other position on the roster. The only one who’s safe seems to be Christian McCaffrey, which is pretty ironic considering his track record.
Nearly all areas of the 49ers roster have been affected by the injury bug
Backup Mac Jones has started seven games and gone 5-2 in place of $265 million man Brock Purdy, who’s dealing with a nagging turf toe issue. Starting left guard Ben Bartch has been on IR since Week 2 with an ankle injury, and starting center Jake Brendel has been sidelined for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury. All-Pro middle linebacker Fred Warner is also out for the year with a broken ankle.
All-Pro tight end George Kittle just recently returned from a six-week absence due to an oblique injury. San Francisco’s receiver room has been especially decimated. Jauan Jennings has missed a few games with a litany of injuries, including rib, ankle, and shoulder ailments. Brandon Aiyuk has still not returned from his torn ACL last season. 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall has not played since September due to a knee injury.
So, yeah, that’s a lot of injuries. And not to depth players or serviceable starters. It’s Shanahan’s stars—apart from CMC, thank god—that are hitting the injury report. And yet, there the 49ers sit, at 6-3 and just half a game out of first place in arguably the strongest division in the league this season.
They play the NFC West’s current first-place team, the L.A. Rams, next week. If Shanahan wins that one with this island of misfit toys he’s got working for him now, we might have to hop on Cowherd’s bandwagon.
