There's no shortage of amazement surrounding how the San Francisco 49ers are somehow 5-2 after seven weeks despite the exorbitant number of significant injuries they've suffered along the way.
Simply pick one of the Niners' big-ticket players -- Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, Fred Warner, etc. -- and chances are, they've either missed a significant chunk of the season already and/or are poised to miss the rest of it.
Despite these setbacks, and in light of San Francisco's Sunday Night Football win over the Atlanta Falcons a week after Warner's broken ankle, head coach Kyle Shanahan somehow seems to put together enough of a formula to keep his team on the right track.
And people are noticing.
Remarkable that the Niners are 5-2 after all the injuries.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 20, 2025
One former NFL player turned analyst certainly isn't surprised, Richard Sherman, whose familiarity with both Shanahan and many of the 49ers veterans put him into a unique perspective.
The longtime cornerback had no shortage of credit for the way Shanahan has navigated the injuries, and there was a clear message to those who've wanted the head coach dismissed despite the Niners' successes during Shanahan's tenure.
Richard Sherman on Kyle Shanahan critics: 'You've lost your mind'
Speaking on his podcast, Sherman admitted if he knew San Francisco suffered as many key injuries as it has up to this point, he wouldn't anticipate 2025 going well.
It has, at least in terms of record and NFC West standings, though, which prompted Sherman to call out those who've wanted the 49ers to part ways with Shanahan in recent years.
Kyle Shanahan and the Niners are playing GREAT with key players OUT | Fans are spoiled! pic.twitter.com/iNJrHEATqo
— Richard Sherman Podcast (@RShermanPodcast) October 20, 2025
"If you were calling for anything other than 'Kyle Shanahan is doing a great job, and he needs to continue,' If you're saying anything other than that, you're wrong," Sherman declared.
The current Amazon Prime analyst for Thursday Night Football admitted it's OK to criticize both Shanahan and the team by suggesting improvements or calling out mistakes.
But, for even suggesting Shanahan's seat is even remotely warm? No.
"If you're trying to say that the cloth on this seat is even remotely warm, you have lost your mind," Sherman insisted.
If anything, Shanahan is coaching his way toward the highest individual honor a head coach can receive any given year, and it's going to be hard to deny him such in light of just how battered the Niners have been over the course of 2025.
Sherman would probably agree on that, too.