As bad as some teams had it this year, nobody envies the kind of season that the San Francisco 49ers had in 2024. To have basically the same team from a year ago, which got very close to a Super Bowl win, not even make the playoffs, is extremely frustrating.
By midseason, the 49ers had a .500 record, and you had to believe that they would be able to swing momentum back in their favor.
Unfortunately, it may have been a little too late.
The 49ers finished dead last in the NFC West at 6-11. Back in September, nobody thought that would ever be what is being written about them this season.
Their offense is a team of guys who have gone the distance before. They’re a championship-caliber unit; however, hardly any of their star players were ever on the same field with one another this season.
You don’t want to blame things on injuries; there always needs to be a ‘next man up’ mentality on the sidelines when a starter goes down. But when key players on this roster like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and Brandon Aiyuk are not out there every Sunday, it’s going to be an uphill battle.
None of those players mentioned above were ever on the field at the same time in 2024.
An article by Matt Maiocco at NBC Sports Bay Area states that “In 2023, Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel combined to score 40 touchdowns. This season, they combined for just four touchdowns—all coming from Deebo Samuel.”
Samuel played a total of 14 games, excluding the game in which he played only four snaps before leaving due to an illness that ended up resulting in pneumonia. Aiyuk and McCaffrey played in 11 games; neither of those three saw action at the same time.
If you wanted to root against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs this season, even if you’re not from the West Coast, there’s a chance you banked on the 49ers to compete once again come February.
Now, you need to look elsewhere.
Kyle Shanahan’s face reflects the stress of the season and the lack of star players. Even the press conference he held this year looked as if he was battling through one set of bad news after another.
If anything, taking a losing year is what the 49ers needed. They’ve been in contention for the Super Bowl for the last half-decade; those are long seasons. This may be how you push the reset button and prepare to compete again.
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