5 things 49ers fans can be thankful for so far in 2021
By Peter Panacy
With Thanksgiving fully on the table, literally, the 49ers and their fans can be thankful for some specific things this holiday season.
The San Francisco 49ers are no longer trending towards being the laughingstock of the entire league, which certainly seemed to be the case not long ago when the team was mired in a four-game losing streak.
Granted, those losses still count. And a 5-5 record entering Week 12 is far from where the Niners would ideally like to be by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.
But the fact San Francisco has turned its fortunes around after such an abysmal stretch is a reason alone for fans to be thankful this holiday season.
There are plenty of other reasons why the fanbase should be thankful, too. So, with the Thanksgiving holiday at the forefront, let’s look at five specific reasons why the team and its fans should be thankful heading into the back stretch of the season.
No. 5: 49ers have largely avoided the injury bug
True, the 49ers have dealt with some notable injuries in 2021 so far, including losing defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a season-ending knee injury, cornerback Jason Verrett to a season-ending knee injury, right tackle Mike McGlinchey to a season-ending quad injury, running back Raheem Mostert to a season-ending knee injury and plenty of other players, such as tight end George Kittle, to shorter-term injuries.
In light of the injuries that plagued the Niners a year ago, however, these pale in comparison.
San Francisco’s 2020 squad set a record for most player days missed by injuries, according to Football Outsiders. And while injuries have hit hard yet again in 2021, they’ve been far easier to absorb from the general perspective.
Currently, the 49ers have 10 players on injured reserve, yet only six of them are guaranteed to be out for the year. And unlike last year, the bulk of fill-ins have done an adequate job of making up for the losses.
The same can’t be said about what happened in 2020. That alone is a reason to be thankful.