Reinforcements Inbound: 49ers Are The Team You Want To Avoid
Throughout the 2022 season, the San Francisco 49ers have dealt with a litany of injuries. However, entering the halfway point of the season, the Niners are on the verge of being the healthiest they have been. Has San Francisco finally turned a corner?
A tradition unlike any other continued in 2022. Per usual, over the last decade, the 49ers’ roster has been decimated by injuries. Week in and week out, it feels like the Niners lose two-to-three main contributors per game due to injury.
Since Kyle Shanahan has taken over as head coach in 2017, the team has dealt with injuries unlike any other team in the league. It got so bad that before the 2019 season, the franchise had to hire a brand new state-of-the-art training staff to try and combat the damage. Unfortunately, not much has changed and it has been more of the same in 2022.
However, crunch time is around the corner, and after an injury-less Week Eight victory over the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers enter the bye week the healthiest they have been after a game all season. With the week off, the team has a chance to get even healthier. If they do, watch out.
A healthy 49ers roster will make noise.
49ers: 2022 Injuries And How It Affects The Roster
The biggest injury of the year was when Trey Lance injured his ankle. Losing your starting quarterback five quarters into the season is never ideal. Kyle Shanahan had to turn to backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to help save the season, and he has done a great job with that so far.
However, that was just the start of the injuries San Francisco would face.
Here is every NFL team ranked from healthiest to least healthy entering Week 8 🩺 @sportsdocmatt pic.twitter.com/DVNheT4cje — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 30, 2022
All-pro players Trent Williams, George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel have all missed time this season. Add in key contributors like Kyle Juszczyk, Dre Greenlaw, Azeez Al-Shaair, Elijah Mitchell, Charvarius Ward, Jimmie Ward, Emmanuel Moseley (out for the year due to a Torn-ACL), Trey Lance, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Daniel Brunskill, Tyrion Davis-Price, etc. These key contributors missing games has put an unbelievable strain on one of the top rosters in football. That depth started dwindling and holes started to show.
It is tough to compete when you are not at full strength. Even though the 49ers have dealt with major injuries, the team is still 4-4 and one game behind first place in the NFC West to the surprisingly 5-3, Seattle Seahawks.
Although injuries have ravaged the team, the tide may finally be turning in San Francisco’s favor.
49ers: Injuries Turning The Corner?
For the team to compete for a Super Bowl, they need to be healthy, and in Week Eight the team had no injuries to report after a game for the first time all season. On the offensive side entering the game, the team was without swiss-army knife, Deebo Samuel, third down/red zone target Jauan Jennings and the best full-back in the league Kyle Juszczyk. Even without these players, the offense broke out in the second half of the game in a 31-14 victory.
Defensively, the 49ers were still without Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw, two key cogs in the middle that helps stifle the opponents running game, and fourth-year linebacker, Dre Greenlaw. With Armstead, the Niners’ defense is a whole different animal.
A look at the Niners run defense with and without Arik Armstead: In the 3 games AA has played in: • 64 rushing yards a game allowed on avg. • 1 rushing TD allowed In the 4 games AA did not play in: • 111 rushing yards a game allowed on avg. • 6 rushing TDs allowed pic.twitter.com/WauzP1U7Um — Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) October 26, 2022
Even though the defense struggled in the first half, the second half was a different story. The defense, in the second half, only allowed 52 yards of total offense. Without six key players, the 49ers overwhelmed the Rams and showed the entire league how dominant they can be once everyone is back healthy.
49ers: Coming Back After The Bye
San Francisco expects several key players to return from injury after the bye week.
The #49ers expect to get some players back after the bye week or the second half of the season, such as: Kyle Juszczyk Deebo Samuel Jauan Jennings Elijah Mitchell Arik Armstead Azeez Al-Shaair Dre Greenlaw Jordan Willis Perhaps … Jason Verrett Javon Kinlaw — Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) October 31, 2022
A breakthrough player in 2021, running back Elijah Mitchell, is expected to be back in Week Ten, for the first time since Week One. Adding him back to the mix, the 49ers will hope to try and form the best 1-2 combo in the league at tailback with Christian McCaffrey. Add back Deebo, Jennings, and Juszczyk to Aiyuk, Kittle and McCaffrey; Kyle Shanahan has an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball that rivals any team in the league.
Arik Armstead is expected to be back sooner rather than later along with Azeez Al-Shaair and Jason Verrett. Adding that mass of talent to top-ranked defense in the league gives San Francisco the chance to have the most complete team in the NFL.