"SANTA CLARA - Remember when training camp began and the 49ers were a star-studded team with high hopes and the NFL's "easiest" schedule? Fast forward to Week 7. Two of their biggest stars - linebacker Fred Warner and tight end George Kittle - played a little more than a quarter together and that's how it will remain. Warner is out for the season with a broken and dislocated right ankle and Kittle is expected to return this week after missing five games on injured reserve with a hamstring strain."
"Defensive end Nick Bosa was lost with a torn ACL on Sept. 21. The 49ers are 4-2 but can't run the ball effectively and quarterbacks Brock Purdy (turf toe) and Mac Jones (knee, oblique) are hobbling. They can't rush the passer effectively and are in the midst of the longest streak in NFL history with 14 straight games without an interception dating back to last season. They're working running back Christian McCaffrey to the point of exhaustion."
"The 49ers' 2025 schedule featured a lineup of teams that were 120-169 in 2024 - a winning percentage of .415 that ranked as the lowest in the NFL. It was the reward for a 6-11 season. Only four of their opponents made the playoffs. Now it looks much different, and the last 11 games of the season would have been more of a gauntlet than a gimme even if Warner, Kittle, Bosa, Purdy, et al., were healthy and thriving."
Significant injuries have sidelined key players: linebacker Fred Warner suffered a broken, dislocated right ankle and is out for the season; defensive end Nick Bosa tore his ACL; tight end George Kittle is returning after five games on injured reserve with a hamstring strain. Quarterbacks Brock Purdy (turf toe) and Mac Jones (knee, oblique) are hobbling. Rushing and pass-rush production have faltered, and the offense has gone 14 straight games without an interception dating to last season. Running back Christian McCaffrey is being relied upon heavily. Repeating divisional games will influence chances to finish 10-7 and reach the playoffs.
Read at The Mercury News
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