The San Francisco 49ers suck.

But why? They have the best coach in the league, the best running back in the league, a quarterback finishing Top 5 in the 2023 MVP voting, a Defensive Player of the Year, and the best offensive lineman of the 2000s. After an abysmal 6-7 start to the season, it’s clear something has gone horribly wrong. In a two-game stretch against Green Bay and Buffalo, they were outscored 73-20, misfiring on both offense and defense. 

First, the injuries. The primary reason that any team that just made the Super Bowl would face adversity in the regular season, assuming their core roster remains the same, is injuries. Key players who normally would carry the offensive/defensive load are inactive, making the team seem weaker in games than they actually are. The Niners’ defense, once a towering, impenetrable fortress, now resembles a crumbling castle—with its walls vulnerable to any attacks. Long-term injuries to players such as Hargrave, Greenlaw, Hufanga, Ward, Bosa, and Jackson have turned the 49ers into a defensive liability. So what about the offense? Well, at least the offense remains unharmed and strong—excluding the season-ending injuries to Brandon Aiyuk, Jordan Mason, Elijah Mitchell, Ricky Pearsall, and most recently, reigning OPOY Christian McCaffrey. Otherwise, everything’s just peachy on the offensive front!

However, injuries are a part of a contact sport like football, so why are the Niners unable to work around them? Other teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost star WR Rashee Rice and RB Isaiah Pacheco for long stretches of the year still continue to dominate the league. But the Niners can’t seem to win without 10 Pro Bowlers playing at 100%. The underlying issue is the coaching staff—Kyle Shanahan is unable to adapt to the injuries that hinder his complex offensive scheme. In the past, Shanahan’s West Coast-style offense ran the league with utility players and a ground-and-pound run game that gave credibility to the play-action that drove the passing game. But with so many injuries to key players, Shanahan is unable to make his offense work. Especially with the loss of CMC (and now Jordan Mason), the running game has lost its power, making the passing game and play-action offense harder to execute. Ideally, Shanahan would switch the strategy around and try to use the passing game more effectively, especially with the addition of 1st round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, but that is far from reality. The offense continues to lag behind with one of the worst red zone conversion rates in the league and a commitment to a style of football that doesn’t suit the personnel the Niners have at their disposal. 

Shanahan’s inability to pick strong coordinators has reared its head in full effect this year, as the hire of Nick Sorenson has been the primary factor in making the niners defense the worst its been since 2017. The Defense went from being an extremely physical and feared unit into one of the softest ones in all of football. The regression of Ji’Ayir Brown has encapsulates the defensive struggles as a whole, with the former young star looking unplayable most of the year.

The 49er Special Teams woes have persisted for over a decade, and have come into full force this year. Jake Moody has missed crucial kicks, and the unit seems to give the opposing team a touchdown a game at the very least.

But it’s not all just injuries and coaching—sometimes, players just don’t perform well. Let’s talk about the uninjured players on this offense; more specifically, the guy running it—Brock Purdy. Despite having the #1 offensive rating in the league last year, the Niners passing and rushing game has taken a drastic turn for the worse. The stellar 28.9 points per game has dropped to just 22.5 this year. The Niners have only converted 45/140 third-downs, a disgraceful conversion rate. And, to top it all off, Brock Purdy cannot hold onto the ball, whether it’s a fumble, an interception, or a turnover on downs, his blatant disregard for ball security has led to a negative turnover differential. Brock Purdy’s play this year has called his true talent level into question. He may be a great QB but he may not be the Super Bowl-caliber quarterback who can put the team on his back. Other than Jauan Jennings, Brock hasn’t been able to elevate the talent around him, and overall looks vastly different than the guy who went toe to toe with Mahomes in the Super Bowl last year. But Brock Purdy can’t do much when his former stellar weapon, WR Deebo Samuel, has turned into a liability. He’s never been amazing at route running, but this year, his hands and ability to break tackles have taken a huge step back. Thus, his utility out of the backfield has also diminished, with his yards per carry falling to a meager 2.9 from his peak of 6.1 last year.  

The brutal combination of injuries, poorly-adapted coaching, and underperforming stars have caused the 49er’s struggles this year. It’s looking really bad for the Niners, and fans are already switching their sights to the NFL draft and the 2025 season. It might be time for Bay Area Sports fans to start watching the Warriors, who are faring a lot better—at least they might make the playoffs. But hope is not lost, the Niners still have a 6% chance of making the playoffs if the odds fall in their favor. It’s a pipe dream, but if:

1. The Niners win the rest of their games 
2. The Rams lose two more games
3. The Buccaneers lose 2 more games
4. The Cardinals lose 2 more games 

Then maybe, just MAYBE the Niners can sneak into the playoffs and have a chance at bringing home their first Super Bowl in 30 years.