Let’s not sugarcoat it — the 49ers’ 2024 season was straight-up cursed.
Something felt off from the jump. We went from barely losing the Super Bowl in overtime to finishing dead last in the NFC. 6-11. SIX AND ELEVEN. I’ve seen expired milk put up a better fight.
And if you’re anything like me, you’ve been emotionally checked into the 2025 season since, like, Week 9 of last year. But now that it’s here… does it actually feel different? Or are we about to get our hearts stomped on again?
Now I’m not gonna go full Cowboys on you and say “this is our year”….but I will say: this year hits different and here’s why.
1. The Defense Was Defensive…ly Bad
The problem: It starts with “Nick” and ends with “Why was this man coaching a defense?” Listen, I’m sure he’s a nice guy. Maybe he’ll be a good DC one day. But 2024 was not that day. Our defense ranked 29th in points allowed and dead last in run defense. That’s not just bad. That’s “did we even line up 11 guys?” bad.
Part of it was the timing — we made a Super Bowl run and all the good defensive minds got snatched up before we could blink. So Sorensen got promoted like it was a family business. And like most family-run ventures built on vibes instead of results, it collapsed on itself.
How it’s been fixed: Robert Saleh is back. Enough said. All gas, no brake.
2. Injuries on Injuries on Injuries
The Madden Curse hit Christian McCaffrey hard. Out of nowhere CMC got injured right before the first game and missed the first eight games. When he finally came back, he got hurt again, as did our last shred of optimism. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 13, finishing with just four games and no touchdowns. Brutal year for the former Offensive Player of the Year.
Other starters like Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams, and Nick Bosa missed significant time, forcing reliance on rookies. One of them literally got shot and nearly died right before the season even started. But hey, you know what they say: when it rains, it pours. And as if that wasn’t enough, a few players were dealing with unimaginable grief off the field, including the loss of their children.
How it’s been fixed: Everyone’s healthy (knock on wood), and the roster has depth again. The rookies are ready. The vets are locked in. Practically full attendance in OTAs. We’re ready to rock.
3. Second Half Collapses and Late Game Inefficiencies
We’d come out swinging, only to disappear after halftime like someone unplugged the team. In three games against division rivals, we blew late leads.
Week 3 vs. Rams: squandered a 10-point 4th-quarter lead.
Week 5 vs. Cardinals: up 23–10 at the half but lost 24–23. Fumbled at the goal line, threw a late pick. It genuinely looked like we forgot there were two halves in football.
Week 11 vs. Seahawks: Lost another one in the 4th. It was like clockwork.
Despite ranking 2nd in yards per play, we couldn’t close. Penalties erased TDs. Red zone trips ended in field goals or worse. We dropped from 8th to 31st in net EPA/play. Brutal.
How it’s been fixed: The offense added depth including Demarcus Robinson, who may not move the needle in a dramatic fashion, but definitely the mid-game jolt we need. Robinson spent 2023–2024 with the Rams, helping them make the playoffs in back-to-back years as both a red zone weapon and a legit downfield threat. He’s got that perfect combo of length and speed that makes defenders look like they’re stuck in slow motion — especially on outside throws. Last season, five of his seven touchdowns came in the red zone. For a WR3/4? Solid.
Now picture this: 3rd and Jauan. Demarcus Robinson. Everyone else healthy and back in the mix. Red zone problems? Solved.
Yes, okay, technically Jauan Jennings might be holding out for a new contract and technically Robinson could be suspended for a couple of games… but those are minor technicalities. Blips. Nothing to see here. No one’s panicking. I’m certainly not panicking. Everything’s totally fine. It’s fine.
4. Special Teams Was Special and Not In The Good Way
Where do we start? Gave up return TDs. Got punts blocked. Couldn’t flip field position. Oh, and 3rd rounder Jake Moody (yes, let’s not forget we drafted a kicker in the 3rd round) got hurt trying to make a tackle and then forgot how to be a kicker.
He made just 70.6% of field goals, the worst in the league. Not ideal when your offense stalls inside the 30 every other drive.
How it’s been fixed: Schneider? Fired. Brant Boyer, the special teams whisperer and Saleh’s sidekick, is in. His special teams units with the Jets cooked — top five in blocked punts, return TDs, and overall EPA from special teams play.
Plus we loaded up on specialists in free agency like it was Cyber Monday:
Long Snapper: Taybor Pepper got the boot. Enter Jon Weeks — a rock-solid vet with 15 years of snapping experience and exactly zero drama. Stability: restored.
Punter: Mitch Wishnowsky was shown the door. In comes 39-year-old Thomas Morstead — reliable, consistent, and already has chemistry with both Boyer and Saleh. The man knows the assignment.
Kicker: Greg Joseph signed to keep Jake Moody on his toes and, ideally, remind him how to kick a football between the uprights. Let the pressure cook.
Other ST‑savvy players: Luke Gifford, Siran Neal, Richie Grant, and drafted return specialist Junior Bergen in Round
5. Super Bowl Hangover
You can’t pretend the Super Bowl hangover isn’t real. Fans felt it. Players felt it. Hell, the water boys probably felt it.
If February 2024 gave you déjà vu, you weren’t hallucinating — it happened. We lost the Super Bowl. Again. To Patrick Mahomes. Again. We led most of the game, took it to OT, and then just… crumbled. And let’s be real: most of us saw it coming. Like we knew heartbreak was on the way — we just didn’t know what form it would take this time.
The energy was flat. The grief was heavy. The locker room felt emotionally stuck in 2023. The 2024 season never even had a pulse.
How it’s been fixed: Everyone finally got a full night’s sleep. Everyone’s locked in. The vibes? As George Kittle says, “immaculate”. And the chip on this team’s shoulder? About the size of the Golden Gate. No one’s over it — and that’s exactly why this year’s different.
6. Schedule Toughness and One-Score Losses
The 49ers seemed to lose games that statistically they should’ve won. It was frustrating to watch.
We had the third hardest strength of schedule and the worst rest differential in the league — minus 22 days. We played 8 games where the rest disparity was 32 days – meaning the other teams had a whole month of pre-game preparation and napping collectively. Not only that, but we also played 4 teams (Chiefs, Bills, Seahawks and Cowboys – two of which were away games) coming off their bye – the most for any team in NFL history.
Meanwhile, the team that won the Super Bowl? They had the second-best rest advantage in the league of +12 days.
Add that to our Niner’s roster of:
A kicker with a broken ankle (and brain)
A WR1 with shredded ligaments (literally torn ACL, MCL and PCL)
Another wide receiver that was shot
Two players grieving children
Two running backs on a rotating ER schedule and one in Germany getting his knee blessed by a witch doctor
A defense being coached by someone whose only qualification was “being in the building”
Fatigue, frustration, and a locker room running on fumes and flashbacks
…and yeah. 6–11 makes sense now.
How it’s been fixed: We have the easiest strength of schedule. I would say we got lucky, but the truth is, our time was served. This was long overdue.
To Wrap It Up
Last year was a disaster movie. This year? This year is the revenge tour.
Defense: fixed.
Injuries: healed.
Special teams: rebranded.
Vibes: immaculate.
Schedule: fair.
The only thing left is to run it the hell back. And this time? We’re not just going to the Super Bowl. We’re winning the damn thing. And at home.
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