During their mighty run to the NFC championship last season, the 49ers steamrolled through a course heavy with obstacles before them, including a steady stream of injuries to key performers that ultimately saw San Francisco players miss a combined total of 147 games.
“We had a lot of guys miss a lot of time last year, and for the most part, even though we’d step back in places, other places stepped it up,” coach Kyle Shanahan said.
The 49ers are on a similar course of destruction this year, and their decimated roster is struggling to pick up the pieces like it did in 2019, when San Francisco somehow overcame all those injuries to reach Super Bowl LIV, a championship game it would have won if not for a late collapse.
As they hobble this year toward the end of October and into a November schedule stocked with playoff contenders, injuries have ravaged the 49ers literally at every positional unit. As a result, San Francisco labored through what was expected to be the easiest part of its schedule, losing each of its first three home games at Levi’s Stadium in matchups the 49ers were favored to win by seven points or more.
The season is on the brink. The 49ers never again will be at full strength in 2020, but key players will return in upcoming weeks and later down the stretch to try and keep San Francisco’s playoff hopes afloat.
This story is from the November 2020 edition of Niner Report.
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This story is from the November 2020 edition of Niner Report.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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