San Francisco 49ers fans aren't exactly looking for optimism after their team suffered a horrendous and lopsided 41-6 blowout by their NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, for the right to advance to the conference championship.
After all, the game seemed pretty much over after the opening kickoff, which went for a Hawks touchdown before the Niners offense even saw the field.
Nothing went right for San Francisco from that point onward, and the casual fan who watched the game would reasonably conclude the 49ers had no business even being here at this point despite contending for the No. 1 seed in the conference just two weeks ago, ultimately losing to that same Seattle team that surely seems like a legit Super Bowl contender.
However, future Hall of Fame quarterback and now-Fox Sports color commentator took a moment to remind fans why the Niners' 2025 story is one worth remembering.
Tom Brady reminds fans how special 49ers' season truly was
Again, Brady's quote won't ease the sting of a loss to a hated rival, especially such a one-sided one.
However, Brady's words during the broadcast ultimately rang true:
"It’s just kind of remarkable what this Niners team has done this year – to celebrate them. I know tonight it’s a blowout. It’s 41-6. But the resilience, the adversity they’ve dealt with all year with the injuries. This is just an incredible organization led by Kyle Shanahan. They do so many things the right way. To get to this point is nothing short of a miracle."
Brady's point is a good one. Quarterback Brock Purdy, who was under all kinds of duress throughout the game, also missed eight starts during the regular season because of a turf-toe injury.
And that wasn't even the worst of it.
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk never saw the field, while second-year receiver Ricky Pearsall was in and out of the lineup. All-Pro defenders Fred Warner and Nick Bosa both suffered devastating season-ending injuries early in the year, as did San Francisco's first-round pick from last April's NFL Draft, defensive end Mykel Williams.
In fact, no team even came close to spending as much on injured players as the 49ers did this year.
And yet the Niners, when other teams likely would have collapsed to no better than a six-win campaign, ultimately won 12 games and made it into the second round of the postseason.
At least that's worth noting.