When the NFL schedule came out this past Spring, the 49ers vs Cowboys week eight matchup at Levi’s Stadium was rightfully billed as one of a handful of premiere matchups on the league’s calendar. Two historic franchises, rich head to head history, and of course, what should be two of the NFL’s best come October 27.
The latter has been far from the case in the early part of 2024. Dallas can’t stop a nosebleed, can’t win at home, and limps out of its bye week with a 3-3 record. Somehow, that 3-3 mark is a half game better than the 49ers. If Super Bowl hangovers are real, the Niners just woke up in Vegas without a front tooth and a weapons grade sunburn. SF sees the Cowboys limp into Levi’s from the rear window of a Santa Clara ambulance.
The 49ers injury list is comically long. It rivals the plethora of injuries the team suffered during the infamous 2020 season that went off the rails around this time of year. The headache-inducing IR and daily participation reports aren’t quite to that level, but the contrast between a nearly injury free 2023 and this carnage is staggering. Here’s a quick summary of the bad luck San Francisco has encountered when it comes to health this season.
Their rookie first round pick Ricky Pearsall was shot in an armed robbery in August, just days before the season opener. All world and defending offensive player of the year Christian McCaffrey still hasn’t played this year with bilateral Achilles tendinitis. The team is still without Dre Greenlaw, who ruptured his achilles whilst jogging onto the field in the second quarter of the Super Bowl. Javon Hargrave was lost for the season two weeks ago, severely crippling the Niners’ depth on the defensive line.
Deep breath.
San Francisco’s starting kicker sprained his ankle attempting to make a tackle because the other 10 men on kick coverage are so consistently incompetent that kickers and punters are often forced into contact situations. Then his backup was injured in his first appearance as a Niner. How many NFL teams have reached their third kicker in one season, without a single change being made due to performance?
Former All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga was the exception to the sterling injury luck in 2023. He tore his ACL midway through the year before heroically returning to action early in this season. Promptly, and almost cruelly, he suffered a wrist injury that tore tendons off the bone. It’s unclear if he will play again this season.
Brandon Aiyuk, who dominated offseason headlines for the Niners with a very public contract dispute, just tore his ACL and MCL in the loss to Kansas City.
Finally, and perhaps most unbelievably, star wide receiver Deebo Samuel missed Sunday’s game with an undisclosed illness that turned out to be pneumonia, for which he was hospitalized. Yes, Pneumonia.
It’s been a brutal couple of months for the 49ers on the injury front, and the product on the field hasn’t been much better. Some of that can be attributed to the long line at the infirmary, but far from all of it.
Steve Young joined Tolbert & Copes: for his weekly spot on Wednesday. Check out more here and listen to the full podcast below!
