The San Francisco 49ers find themselves in a tough spot with all of the injuries they have suffered, but the bad injury luck is not a good enough excuse for them to punt on this season.
They still need to do everything they can to make the playoffs.
Things seem very bleak for San Francisco, admittedly. Edge rusher Nick Bosa is out for the season, and star linebacker Fred Warner is likely done for the season, barring something unlikely. There is not much reason for hope right now among 49ers fans.
Some might argue the best course of action is to essentially punt on this season. Sure, try to win games but do not make any big moves that could be short-sighted when the team has been so decimated by injury. 49ers reporter Matt Maiocco laid out the case for this approach recently.
This is a fine and well-reasoned view to hold, but after all of the heartbreak the 49ers have endured over the last half-decade, they owe it to themselves and to their fans to at least try and compete this year.
They cannot wait and say "maybe next year we will be healthier" when it comes to injuries.
This franchise is one of the most injured NFL teams year after year, and that is just not going to change anytime soon. It's not hyperbole either, as there's data supporting this unfortunate reality. Whether they do not train properly, or the medical staff is at fault, or they have had insane bad luck, or team CEO Jed York made some sort of deal with the devil, it is just a fact the Niners are injury-prone.
Next year may not be any better on the injury front. The 49ers have a unique opportunity given their schedule and the relative strength of the NFC to actually get a decent seed in the playoffs.
As things stand right now, the Niners are in first place in the NFC West and have a perfect 3-0 record against divisional opponents. If the season ended today, the 49ers would have the No. 3 seed in the conference.
The NFC seems fairly wide open this season. Frankly, the entire NFL seems wide open. The top four seeds in the AFC, if the season ended today, are the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, and New England Patriots. No one would have seen that coming at the start of the season.
It is obviously early and things can change in a hurry, but there is no reason for the 49ers to not try and make a push this year. Go out and make a massive trade for an edge rusher like Trey Hendrickson. Bring back Azeez Al-Shaair to try and provide some sort of presence at linebacker in the absence of Warner.
The offense should be relatively fine with head coach Kyle Shanahan at the controls, Christian McCaffrey still being a threat (at least as a pass-catcher), and George Kittle and Brock Purdy likely to return soon.
There has been enough waiting and enough heartbreak. Fans have been starved of a Super Bowl win for so long, and the team has a unique opportunity this year with the Super Bowl being at Levi's Stadium.
Sure, swinging big and betting it all on 2025 may not work out, but who knows how many chances the Niners are going to have? This could be the last year of the championship window and they do not even know it yet. The NFL works in mysterious ways.
That is why the 49ers should double down and still give it a go this season.
The odds are against them, but if they can make some moves and stay somewhat healthy the rest of the season, they still have a chance in a conference and in a league that are fairly unsettled.