Most of the attention regarding the 49ers this year has been about the players who aren’t available, are no longer with the team or are on the verge of leaving.
It’s time for the players who have been on the field to get some recognition because it’s quite remarkable that San Francisco is in the position it’s in after cruising to a 20–9 victory over the Panthers on Monday night. Even Carolina had more of the spotlight heading into the prime-time matchup because it had been a long time since this franchise had an opportunity to take first place this late in the season.
Instead, it was the team accustomed to winning that handled business with what it had. And what the 49ers have had has been instrumental in the team building an 8–4 record despite various injury waves. They’re currently holding the seventh seed in the NFC playoff picture, ahead of the stacked Lions, who have had much better injury luck.
Still, San Francisco hasn’t been viewed seriously as a contender because Fred Warner and Nick Bosa will continue to make TV appearances from their suite while watching their teammates battle. They’re not returning to the field after sustaining devastating season-ending injuries, but defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has made it work with a talented, feisty secondary. Usually, uneven defenses get by with consistent pressure to mask the issues in the secondary. Rarely is it the other way around, but there was safety Ji’Ayir Brown picking off Bryce Young twice despite the defense not recording its first sack until less than four minutes remaining in regulation. San Francisco held Carolina to 230 total yards, including only 38 rushing yards from bruising running back Rico Dowdle.
The 49ers lost cornerback Charvarius Ward from last year’s team, one of many starters who left in free agency in March. But the organization gained another impactful cornerback in rookie third-round pick Upton Stout, who received a ton of praise from Troy Aikman during the Monday Night Football ESPN broadcast. Also, let’s not overlook that San Francisco has reliable outside cornerbacks in Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir, and the return of safety Malik Mustapha, who missed the first five games, has given this team much-needed physicality. Yes, the 49ers have a league-low 13 sacks, but this tenacious secondary combined with Saleh’s well-designed game plans will continue to be enough for this unit.
It’s strange that the available players aren't getting more recognition, especially with the star power on the offensive side. Christian McCaffrey needs to get more attention for MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. While the chatter has been about wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk potentially splitting from the organization in the offseason, McCaffrey has put the offense on his back, churning out yards as a runner and receiver while receiving a ton of touches on a weekly basis. He hasn’t missed a game in his ninth season, bouncing back from an injury-riddled 2024 season. CMC racked up 142 total yards and a rushing touchdown against his former team, not allowing the Panthers to take advantage of an off night from quarterback Brock Purdy.
The 49ers were first counted out when they traded Deebo Samuel and Jordan Mason; released Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins and Leonard Floyd; and opted not to re-sign Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw, Aaron Banks, Ward and many others.
Obviously, they could use some of those players, especially the defensive linemen. But it was time for San Francisco to take its salary cap medicine from going all in the previous seasons in hopes of winning a Super Bowl. Maybe they won’t reach that goal again, but it’s starting to look like they’ll at least get a chance to end their Super Bowl drought that goes back to 1994.
It was hard to envision San Francisco being in this position after the player exodus in March. Not many saw that coming just a few weeks ago when this wounded team got crushed by the Rams in Week 10. That same short-handed 49ers team did, however, beat the Rams at their house in Week 5.
Coach Kyle Shanahan has a team full of fighters. They’re not going away, and you can expect them to be in the playoffs when January rolls around. The 49ers could easily get to 10 victories with rookie Shedeur Sanders and the Browns next up on the schedule, followed by rookie Cam Ward and the Titans.
San Francisco will probably run into trouble vs. Indianapolis, Chicago and Seattle to end the regular season. But don’t be surprised if this team gets a few more upsets with all the feisty available players.
It’s time to accept that the 49ers will be in the mix and no team should want to face a team full of fighters.
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