Five things 49ers fans should be thankful for this holiday season

The San Francisco 49ers are only 5-6. With several critical losses, they seem to be on the wrong end of the wild-card equation as they look toward a potential late-season playoff push. However, even in the middle of a disappointing season, there are plenty of things 49ers fans can be thankful for. Here’s a list of five:

1. Kyle Shanahan

The 49ers have sure had their fair share of struggles over the years, and head coaching carousel’s were constantly at the center of it. While Jed York has made plenty of mistakes during his time at the helm of the franchise, he deserves a decent amount of credit for learning from some of his biggest mistakes. It’s clear that York’s decision to side with Trent Baalke and fire Jim Harbaugh set the franchise back for several seasons, and it left Yok.

Shanahan has some glaring weaknesses, and perhaps they will prove to be too significant to ever lead the Niners to a Super Bowl title. However, for a franchise that has seen the disastrous tenures of head coaches like Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary, Jim Tomsula, and Chip Kelly, a clearly competent coach who consistently keeps his players motivated and builds a competitive team is something worth being thankful for.

2. Fred Warner

There are plenty of players the Niners fanbase should be thankful for, but few have been a consistent impact player for longer than Fred Warner. A Day 1 starter who made it easy for San Francisco to deal with an ill-fated free agent investment in Malcolm Smith, Warner has easily been the 49ers best top three-round draft pick since Kyle Shanahan arrived.

Warner is on pace for his seventh consecutive season with at least 118 tackles. He will likely be selected a first-team All-Pro for the fourth time in his career, tying him with Navorro Bowman on the franchise’s all-time linebacker rankings and leaving him just one first-team selection away from tying Patrick Willis.

Oh yeah, and he’s apparently been playing through a fractured ankle this season.

3. The last three rounds of the draft

Despite the success of Shanahan’s tenure, it’s no secret that the top of the draft has had plenty of big misses. Luckily, or perhaps to the credit of the team’s scouting staff, they have been able to compensate for some of those mistakes with an incredible track record of late-round selections. George Kittle, Brock Purdy, Deommodore Lenoir, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and Jauan Jennings were all taken in the final three rounds of the draft. When you include undrafted free agents like Jordan Mason, and players who have since gone elsewhere (D.J. Jones, D.J. Reed, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Kendrick Bourne), it’s quite an impressive collection.

4. The Cowboys being the Cowboys

It’s fun for 49ers fans to watch their favorite team thrive, but for many fans, it’s even more enjoyable to watch the Dallas Cowboys (and their fanbase) flail in misery. As bad as things have gone for the 49ers this season, it’s gone worse in Dallas. The Cowboys are 4-7, five games back of the Eagles in the NFC East, just as buried in the race for the wild card, and have an aging core without a clear long-term plan. With the Eagles and emerging Commanders in their division, it is looking more and more likely that Jerry Jones will never get to see another Cowboys championship in his lifetime.

5. The 49ers 5 Championships

With every passing year, a smaller portion of the Niners’ fanbase has ever seen the team hoist the Lombardi Trophy. However, for plenty of folks, they can still look back in their memory to Joe Montana or Steve Young leading San Francisco to a victory in the big game. It sure may look like the 49ers are at risk of becoming the 90s Bills of the modern era, but at least the franchise has some championship history to hold onto. In a league where more than a third of franchises (12 to be exact), have never won the Super Bowl, it’s worth taking a moment to enjoy rooting for a team that has some history that is always fun to watch on NFL Films.

Related Posts

49ers Inch Closer To Blockbuster Trade

The 49ers’ 2025 season took a gut punch early when All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa went down with a torn ACL in Week 3 against Arizona. It wasn’t just a loss – it was *the*…

🚨 Breaking: Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Week 6 Clash Gets Official Time Slot – Fans Gear Up for Acrisure Stadium Showdown!

Pittsburgh, PA – October 10, 2025 – In a development that’s sending shockwaves through the AFC North, the NFL has locked in the kickoff time for one…

Where to wаtch NFL Week 6 gаmeѕ for free onlіne todаy

Article

💪 BREAKING UPDATE: Terrіon Arnold oрenѕ uр аbout hіѕ recovery — the Lіonѕ rookіe ѕаyѕ he’ѕ “tryіng to ѕtаy рoѕіtіve” аnd focuѕed on returnіng аѕ fаѕt аѕ рoѕѕіble аfter hіѕ іnjury ѕcаre!

Lіonѕ cornerbаck Terrіon аrnold “wаnted to cry” when he heаrd the іnіtіаl dіаgnoѕіѕ of hіѕ ѕhoulder іnjury, but better newѕ cаme once he ѕought out further oріnіonѕ….

NFL WAVES: The entіre Amerіcаn footbаll world іѕ “hot” аfter Jаred Goff, ѕtаr of the Detroіt Lіonѕ, bluntly refuѕed to weаr аn LGBT аrmbаnd іn the uрcomіng gаme. Not only dіd he аct ѕhockіngly, Goff аlѕo ѕtrongly declаred: “Footbаll іѕ not аbout рolіtіcѕ — I juѕt wаnt to dedіcаte myѕelf to the gаme аnd the fаnѕ.” Thіѕ ѕtаtement іmmedіаtely ѕраrked а wаve of fіerce controverѕy throughout the NFL, dіvіdіng the fаn communіty аnd exрertѕ. One ѕіde ѕаіd he wаѕ brаve іn ѕаyіng whаt mаny рeoрle thought but dіd not dаre to ѕаy, whіle the other ѕіde crіtіcіzed thіѕ аctіon аѕ “dіѕreѕрectful аnd goіng аgаіnѕt the globаl trend”.

The NFL is experiencing one of the biggest media shocks of the year, as Detroit Lions star quarterback Jared Goff flatly refused to wear an LGBT armband in an

⚡ INSIDE REPORT: Sаіntѕ reрorter breаkѕ down why trаdіng Rаѕhіd Shаheed would be comрlіcаted — from hіѕ multіfаceted role іn the offenѕe to hіѕ chemіѕtry wіth the coаchіng ѕtаff, there’ѕ more аt ѕtаke thаn juѕt WR deрth.

Rashid Shaheed would be an interesting trade candidate for the Saints.