The San Francisco 49ers‘ overhaul of the roster combined with their handful of in-season injuries sustained through the first month of the 2025 NFL season feels overwhelming when you start listing the names.
Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Nick Bosa, and Jauan Jennings have all missed time due to injury in 2025. Yet, the 49ers‘ 3-1 start to the season through this cascade of injuries has helped them earn a favorable team grade in September.
49ers Receive a Team Grade of B+ for September from USA Today
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today grade of a B+ for September for the San Francisco 49ers came with an abundance of praise for the coaching staff for navigating personnel changes from this past offseason, injuries from last season that have impacted the roster this season, and an unthinkable amount of injuries to All-Pro caliber players to start the 2025 NFL season.
“For most teams, navigating a bad run of injuries is a week-to-week matter, with a new season typically affording a fresh slate,” Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote. “Not so for San Francisco, which has seen significant personnel losses re-emerge as the prevailing theme of another campaign. Through four weeks, the team managed to push past quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle being sidelined for the short term. Yet things finally seemed to come to a head in Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars, with Purdy showing ill effects of his toe ailment upon his return and a battered receiving corps struggling to rise to the occasion.
The 49ers‘ three wins this year have come by a combined 10 points. The teams they beat by this margin were the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Arizona Cardinals.
The team managed to stay afloat with Mac Jones under center and have leaned heavily on Christian McCaffrey while the entire collection of proven pass-catchers are dealing with injuries this season.
Even Purdy’s return to the starting lineup feels like it could be short-lived. Purdy abruptly returned to the injury report entering their Week 5 showdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Niners deserve a ton of credit for surviving the war of attrition through the first month of the season, but the loss of star defender Nick Bosa could be a tipping point for the franchise in 2025.
Can the 49ers Sustain This Level of Success After Losing Nick Bosa?
It took just one game for the 49ers to feel the loss of Nick Bosa on the San Francisco defense after the team generated zero sacks in their 26-21 loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. This suggests the 49ers‘ loss of All-Pro caliber talent could start to cost them games a bit more frequently moving forward.
“Kyle Shanahan and Co. deserve their flowers for weathering the issue as best they can for another year, and that resilience could prove meaningful down the stretch,” added Middlehurst-Schwartz. “But the talent drain, both stemming from injuries and the roster paring necessitated by a cap recalibration, might be insurmountable.”
The 49ers are a strong candidate to work the trade market in order to navigate this absurd amount of injuries to start the season, but there is no guarantee reinforcements will arrive to save the day.
San Francisco has done an admirable job playing winning football under these circumstances and could stay in the mix for a playoff spot because of their coach and winning culture. Yet, if the Niners can’t get reasonably healthy in the near future, then there could be a hard ceiling for this team with Super Bowl aspirations.
49ers Receive High Team Grade for September Amidst ‘Significant Personnel Losses’