At some point, all the brutal setbacks and adversity the San Francisco 49ers endured over the course of the season was going to catch up to them.
It did on Saturday night's divisional-round tilt against the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks, who had no issue reminding their NFC West rivals why the Niners had no chance to advance to the conference title game.
The 41-6 Hawks victory over San Francisco is ugly in every possible way, and it's an awful way to end what had otherwise been a near-miraculous season.
Heck, even Fox Sports' color analyst Tom Brady couldn't help himself and pointed out just how special a season it was for the 49ers in light of the near-unprecedented number of serious injuries they dealt with from the season opener way back in September.
But future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams, who has spent almost as much time in uniform as Brady did, arguably had a more eloquent response when asked about the Niners' resiliency over the year despite all the adversity.
Trent Williams echoes what every 49ers fan will remember about 2025 season
Speaking to reporters after the game, Williams took some time to reflect on how special a group San Francisco had over the course of the season; one impacted by serious injuries to Brock Purdy, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Mykel Williams and many, many more.
"It was extremely special to me. I've never been part of a team that was so behind the 8-ball but just found a way to compete every week. We went up against so many rosters that were fully loaded, and we had guys that we picked up a week ago. I'm just proud of this team. We have… pic.twitter.com/qLA5qZkHpO
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) January 18, 2026
"It was extremely special to me," Williams responded. "I've never been part of a team that was so behind the 8-ball but just found a way to compete every week. We went up against so many rosters that were fully loaded, and we had guys that we picked up a week ago. I'm just proud of this team. We have young guys who contributed to our success. The future is really bright."
Indeed, Williams makes a great point. Few teams across the league could have endured as many injuries as the 49ers did, win 12 regular-season games while contending for the No. 1 seed in the conference in the final week of regulation play, even winning a playoff game in the end.
But the Niners achieved all that anyway, and Williams didn't hesitate to call out his head coach, Kyle Shanahan, for the effort.
"Coach of the Year in my opinion," Williams said of Shanahan.
Sure, the fanbase will wish anything had happened aside from the embarrassment at the hands of a hated rival to end a season.
But, as that pain fades, those same fans will look back on 2025 and recall how a critically depleted San Francisco squad overcame more odds than imaginable and beyond where nearly everyone else expected it to be.