Kansas City Chiefs v San Francisco 49ers | Michael Owens/GettyImages
Every NFL team’s fanbase feels that its team is snakebit by injuries.
They are an unfortunate part of the game, but the San Francisco 49ers have data to back up the feeling that they have been particularly snakebit over the years.
Some recent data shared by Warren Sharp on social media really demonstrates just how badly the Niners have suffered as a result of injuries since 2018:
49ers health by season:
2024: #1 most injured
2023: #29 most injured ◄ 12-5, lost SB
2022: #9 most injured ◄ 13-4, lost NFCCG
2021: #3 most injured
2020: #1 most injured
2019: #6 most injured ◄ 13-3, lost SB
2018: #4 most injured https://t.co/VV3IiQ1Qjn— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 7, 2025
Data shows 49ers have been bitten badly by injury bug since 2018
Those numbers definitely back up how many Niners fans feel. 2020 was a weird season already due to the pandemic, but San Francisco’s absurd injury woes really made it feel like a complete wash of a season.
Last season was another injury-fest, which certainly contributed to the team’s disappointing record of 6-11. Losing star running back Christian McCaffrey and being without wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk certainly hurt on offense, and key players like Nick Bosa and Trent Williams were banged up for a good portion of the year, too.
It is no wonder that San Francisco had such great success in 2023. The 49ers were almost completely healthy for much of that year as the only key starter lost was safety Talanoa Hufanga. Of course, Dre Greenlaw suffered a heartbreaking injury in the Super Bowl but leading up to that loss the team had good luck with injuries.
What’s remarkable is the Niners have even enjoyed great success when they’ve had injury-plagued seasons. In 2021, they were the third-most injured team and yet were still just a play or two away from making the Super Bowl, ultimately losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game.
2022 saw the team make another deep playoff run even though they lost quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. It turns out those injuries may have led them to their best quarterback on the roster, so that may have been a stroke of good luck until Brock Purdy injured his elbow and could not throw in that season’s NFC Championship game.
The 49ers have already had some bad injury luck prior to this season. Their top draft pick, Mykel Williams, had to leave practice on Thursday with a knee injury but the hope is it is not serious. They have also sustained injuries to their young players on the offensive side of the ball.
We will see what type of luck the Niners get with injuries in 2025. This data shows they have been fairly unlucky over the past seven seasons so maybe they are owed some good luck.
