SF 49ers: 5 things that frighten Niners fans the most
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Fear Factor No. 5: The Ghost of Injuries, Past Present and Future
It seems a weekly thing among the SF 49ers fanbase, the nervous anticipation of the injury report from Kyle Shanahan and the Niners media department.
And you’d be haunted by the realization the 2020 49ers have seen 14 players already land on injured reserve just eight weeks into the season, far above everyone else in the league, prompting questions which witches put a curse on San Francisco’s plans to get back to the Super Bowl.
Yet that curse has been there seemingly for years now, and no one seems to have the power to exorcise it.
In 2018, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo‘s ACL tear in Week 3 against those Chiefs demonized the Niners’ subsequent campaign. And while the lowly record that year ultimately landed the SF 49ers EDGE Nick Bosa in the 2019 NFL Draft, he too was beset by the feared “Curse of the ACL” in 2020.
While 2019 was special for SF 49ers fans, all one needs to know is Football Outsiders pegged San Francisco with the sixth-most aggregate injury days lost last season.
A curse? There’s no other way around it.