In February, the San Francisco 49ers came a few plays short of capturing a Super Bowl victory. Eight months later, the Niners have stumbled to a 2-3 record to open the 2024 NFL season.
San Francisco entered the season with realistic aspirations to return to the Super Bowl but has not exactly lived up to the contender billing. The team’s Week 5 loss to the Cardinals is just the latest example of what has been going wrong for the 49ers.
In the first half of San Francisco’s Week 5 game, it lost kicker Jake Moody to an ankle injury. Moody, a third-round pick in 2023, was injured attempting to make a tackle on a kickoff return and did not return to the game. That forced San Francisco to go for it on 4th down instead of attempting a field goal on several occasions — clearly a massive factor in a 24-23 loss.
When analyzing what has gone awry for the 49ers in 2024, injuries sit high on the list. Here is how Moody’s injury is just the latest setback to put a damper on San Francisco’s aspirations to make another Super Bowl run.
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What’s wrong with the 49ers? Jake Moody’s injury latest to cost team in 2024
Important as Moody is, the biggest injury to impact San Francisco is the curiously concerning Achilles tendinitis plaguing All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey was a late scratch ahead of Week 1 and may not return to the field until November. Without one of the most utilized do-it-all players in the game, the 49ers have spiraled and McCaffrey’s injury is one of a rash of setbacks that has impacted San Francisco.
In the first five weeks of this season alone, McCaffrey has missed all five games, Deebo Samuel exited early in Week 2, forcing him to miss Week 3 alongside All-Pro TE George Kittle.
Samuel’s early Week 2 exit was in a loss to Minnesota, and San Francisco remarkably collapsed down the stretch in Week 3 vs. the Rams without three of its top offensive weapons. As if injuries to key offensive players weren’t enough, LB Dre Greenlaw and DT Javon Hargrave are also among the growing group of unavailable 49ers.
Fast forward to Week 5, and the team’s game plan was impacted by its lack of a kicker.
In a game where P Mitch Wishnowsky stepped in as an emergency kicker, the Niners left points on the board to avoid asking too much of its punter. The choices ultimately resulted in a one-point loss at the hands of the Cardinals, who entered Week 5 on a two-game skid.
Now, the 49ers must do whatever it takes to avoid going on a skid of their own but a look at their upcoming schedule is a reminder that it won’t be easy.
MORE: Jake Moody injury forces San Francisco to use punter Mitch Wishnowsky vs. Cardinals
49ers upcoming schedule 2024
After its Week 5 loss, San Francisco has just three days to prepare for a divisional “Thursday Night Football” date with Seattle. From there, the 49ers host a Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs and a prime-time showdown with the Cowboys.
San Francisco will have its bye in Week 9 but will have its work cut out to get back to or above .500 before its much-needed break. It’s worth noting that based on the latest reporting, McCaffrey could return in Week 11 or 12.
Either way, with teams like Minnesota, Washington, Seattle, and Chicago positioning themselves as legit playoff hopefuls to go along with expected contenders like Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Tampa, San Francisco will have its worth cut out for it if it continues losing, injuries or not.
WeekDateOpponentTime (ET)6Oct. 10at Seahawks (Thursday Night Football)8:15 p.m.7Oct. 20vs. Chiefs4:25 p.m.8Oct. 27vs. Cowboys (Sunday Night Football)8:20 p.m.9BYE 10Nov. 10at Buccaneers1 p.m.11Nov. 17vs. Seahawks4:05 p.m.12Nov. 24at Packers4:25 p.m.13Dec. 1at Bills (Sunday Night Football)8:20 p.m.14Dec. 8vs. Bears4:25 p.m.15Dec. 12vs. Rams (Thursday Night Football)8:15 p.m.16Dec. 22at Dolphins4:25 p.m.17Dec. 30vs. Lions (Monday Night Football)8:15 p.m.18Jan. 5at CardinalsTBD
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