"By all rights, the San Francisco 49ers' season should have ended in October. That's when superstar linebacker Fred Warner's ankle snapped early in the team's Week 6 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Or maybe the funeral should have been held in September, when superstar pass rusher Nick Bosa's knee buckled in Week 3. Or perhaps the kill shot actually came in Week 1, when Brock Purdy picked up a nagging turf-toe injury that refused to properly heal for 10 weeks."
"And if the Football Gods spared the Niners then, then surely they saved it all for a truly cruel ending on Sunday, when, amid the whipping winds and batteries of Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, George Kittle was carted off the field with a torn right Achilles tendon. That moment should have turned the gray chill of this playoff game into a full-blown wake. It was 67,000 properly lubricated Philadelphians screaming for blood against a team stripped of its stars."
The 49ers lost key players throughout the season, including Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brock Purdy and George Kittle to significant injuries. Despite being depleted and facing the defending Super Bowl champions in a hostile environment, the team produced an unlikely 23-19 road playoff victory in Philadelphia. Depth players and recent street free-agent signees stepped into starting roles, and lesser-used receivers received increased opportunities. The win keeps the 49ers alive in the postseason and sets up a next-round matchup against division rival the Seahawks, extending an unexpectedly resilient run.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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