3 reasons why 49ers don’t make the playoffs in 2021

It’s absolutely possible the 49ers miss the playoffs for a second straight season, and if it were to happen, here’s what we think would be the cause.

Woah, woah, woah. What do you mean the San Francisco 49ers will miss the playoffs?

OK, relax. I don’t think the Niners will suck this year, but I do think no team is foolproof, and this squad can easily fall into another playoff-less year if a few things don’t go its way.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan will no doubt be in hyperdrive mode in 2021 to assure the team does not suffer another let-down losing season as it did in 2020, as he has only produced a winning record in one of four seasons as the 49ers head coach.

If they were to fail again at proving to the NFL that they are true contenders, a lot of people would have some serious questions about Shanahan and Co. Despite the excuses in 2017, 2018 and 2020, it’s all about winning or losing.

But what could be the reasons for their potential downfall?

Here we’ll outline three reasons why the Niners don’t make the playoffs this coming season.

No. 1: Injuries, injuries, injuries to 49ers again

The NFL is renowned for producing a few surprise failures every year. Last year, the 49ers were expected to least contend for the Super Bowl.

We all know this wasn’t the case, as the Niners didn’t even make the playoffs due to a slew of injuries that absolutely obliterated their starting roster.

Multiple impact players such as EDGE Nick Bosa, tight end George Kittle, cornerback Richard  Sherman and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, to name a few, missed massive portions of the season, which subsequently resulted in the team’s utter demise.

It’s hard to win games when your best players aren’t available. So, what if this were to happen again? What if some of the team’s most important players were unlucky enough to suffer injuries and derail the weekly game plan?

This is absolutely a possibility, and the 49ers seem much more susceptible to injuries than most for some odd reason. A few players whose injuries could obliterate chances at making the playoffs would be if (knock on wood) star left tackle Trent Williams went down with an injury, or if the team lost any of its starting cornerbacks, forcing them to rely solely on their newly added rookies to cover some of the NFL’s most dangerous wide receivers, this would be a massive problem.

Of course, injuries can derail any team, but I don’t find the Niners deep enough in certain positional groups to be able to overcome that level of adversity.