The San Francisco 49ers lost 25-22 in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58. Despite the loss, they were expected to be a top championship contender again in 2024.
Things haven’t exactly gone as planned.
San Francisco now sits at 2-3 heading into a short-week, ‘Thursday Night Football’ showdown in Seattle. With matchups against the undefeated Chiefs and surging Cowboys on deck after that, Thursday’s matchup with the divisional rival might feel like a must-win.
However, the 49ers will once again be shorthanded. Every team deals with injuries, but the Niners haven’t been at full strength the entire season. They have missed major pieces on offense and now are dealing with an injury to their starting kicker that was a big part of why they lost to Arizona last week.
Before getting to TNF against Seattle, let’s recap all the injuries that the 49ers have been dealing with.
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49ers injuries in 2024
Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey is the most notable injury for the 49ers. The dual-threat running back clearly completes the offense. Backup running back Jordan Mason has filled in admirably, but it’s tough to fully replicate a guy who had 1,459 rushing yards, 564 receiving yards, and 21 touchdowns last season.
McCaffrey didn’t play in the preseason and was listed as “questionable” for Week 1 due to calf and Achilles injuries. While analysts always said the running back was expected to play, he was ruled inactive ahead of kickoff. CMC hasn’t played since and has now been diagnosed with Achilles tendonitis in both legs.
McCaffrey is on injured reserve but is not expected to be activated when first eligible in Week 6. There’s hope that he could return in November.
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Jake Moody
Moody is the latest injury that has piled up for San Francisco. He kicked off in the first half against the Cardinals, and in the process of making a tackle on a returner, sprained his ankle. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky filled in, hitting a 26-yard field goal to end the first half, but San Francisco didn’t trust him after that. They went for it on several fourth downs in the second half while in field-goal range, and the inability to put points on the board in those situations was ultimately the difference in a 24-23 loss.
San Francisco brought in four kickers to work out and decided to sign Matthew Wright. He has bounced around the NFL, mainly between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and will at least get to kick on a short week against Seattle.
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Javon Hargrave
Hargrave is in his ninth career season. He is a consistent producer for the defensive line, and his absence has been felt early on. Hargrave played in three games before suffering a triceps injury in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.
The partially torn triceps will sideline Hargrave for the remainder of the season. He had 44 tackles and seven sacks over 16 games last season, and his presence was noticeably lacking in Week 5 when James Conner and Kyler Murray rushed for 169 yards on just 26 carries.
Deebo Samuel
Samuel is healthy now, but he missed the team’s Week 3 game against Los Angeles, a surprise 27-24 loss. He was initially injured in the second half of Week 2’s game vs. Minnesota, which was another one-score defeat (23-17).
It feels like the versatile wide receiver is made of glass and always dealing with something. This time it was a calf strain. Initially, Shanahan said that it would sideline the wideout “a couple of weeks” but he just missed the one game — for now.
George Kittle
Similar to Samuel, Kittle is also healthy now, but also similar to his teammate, he missed San Francisco’s Week 3 matchup against the Rams after picking up a hamstring injury in Week 2 vs. Minnesota.
He wasn’t able to practice that week and was listed as “doubtful” heading into the weekend. Kittle ended up not being able to play, but he did return in Week 4.
Ricky Pearsall
Pearsall was a promising rookie wide receiver that the 49ers drafted with the 31st overall pick in this year’s draft. He began his college career at Arizona State in 2019, but he transferred to Florida in 2022. San Francisco thinks he will be a good complement to Brandon Aiyuk and Samuel, but he hasn’t been able to play yet.
Pearsall was shopping in San Francisco just before the start of the season, but he was the victim of an attempted robbery. He was shot during the incident. He is expected to make a full recovery after the bullet miraculously went through his chest without hitting any vital organs, but Pearsall was added to injured reserve, meaning he would have to miss the first four games of the season. He will not be activated in Week 6 and will continue going through his physical therapy, per Shanahan.
Elijah Mitchell
Mitchell picked up a hamstring injury in the preseason. He was on his way back, but then suffered a different, more severe hamstring injury than the first one. Mitchell was added to IR and was not designated to return so he is not able to play the entirety of the season. He previously filled in for McCaffrey when he was hurt, and at the very least would have added some helpful running back depth if he could play.
Niners players currently on IR
RB Christian McCaffreyDL Javon HargraveOL Jon FelicianoDL Yetur Gross-MatosRB Elijah MitchellLB Curtis RobinsonCB Ambry ThomasWR Ricky Pearsall (non-football injury)
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