SF 49ers: 5 things fans can be thankful for in 2020

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San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch congratulates head coach Kyle Shanahan (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

While the SF 49ers’ 2020 season hasn’t gone according to plan, fans can at least be thankful for a number of things.

Happy Thanksgiving, SF 49ers fans. We hope your plans this year are both safe and enjoyable.

Preferably more than the Niners’ 2020 campaign.

True, at 4-6, San Francisco no longer looks like the powerhouse that ran all the way up to being mere minutes away from a Super Bowl championship last season. Injuries have piled up like crazy for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad, and fans haven’t had the luxury of being treated to exceptional play from superstars like tight end George Kittle, cornerback Richard Sherman, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Raheem Mostert long enough.

And those are just some of the names who’ve missed a good bulk of the season leading up to Thanksgiving.

All said, however, SF 49ers fans can still be awfully thankful for many of the fortunes their team has had and will continue to have, both in terms of this season and in coming years.

So, in the spirit of the holiday season kicking off, let’s explore five reasons why Niners fans should be thankful during Thanksgiving.

No. 5: Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch get it

This isn’t 2014. It’s also not 2015 or 2016.

Typically, when a head coach is looking at three of four seasons in which he’s posted a losing record, there would be notable talks of a hot seat. After all, CEO Jed York lost patience with one of the team’s most-winningest head coaches of recent history, Jim Harbaugh, in 2014. And York didn’t exactly give one-and-done head coaches, Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, time to develop their own programs.

Whatever those programs were, if anything.

Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have made their mistakes, yes. But the losing seasons have arguably told more about their pedigree than anything else. Unlike those years in the middle of last decade, there aren’t any widespread leaks or complaints. By all accounts, San Francisco’s locker room remains tight and composed.

That wasn’t always the case before.

SF 49ers fans can be thankful the head coach-general manager tandem remains a foundational piece of the organization. While there needs to be adjustments and improvements, York has at least settled on something successful for the long run.