49ers’ 2nd-half outlook complicated by ongoing injury uncertainty
At the start of the 2025 season, many pundits and fans had the San Francisco 49ers penciled in as a top contender to make the playoffs, potentially even reach the Super Bowl.
However, as head coach Kyle Shanahan's team enters another week of combing over too-long injury reports and relying heavily on depth charts, the shine has slightly faded. What was once viewed as a well-oiled machine now looks like a squad limping into the second half of the season.
Injuries have once again become the calling card for San Francisco. Key contributors have missed an abundance of playing time, including defensive stars like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa ruled out for the rest of the season, which disrupts the chemistry, timing and consistency that helped define the 49ers' early success this season. And a primarily young defensive front seven, which needed the presence of both Bosa and Warner to properly develop, has also taken a significant step back which is evident by a huge drop-off in production and effectiveness.
When San Francisco's defense is struggling to make plays and get off the field, the team's entire identity gets thrown out of wack.
Quarterback Brock Purdy also fell victim to the dreaded injury bug, and he's only played in two games so far this season, while backup Mac Jones has been steadying the ship until Purdy's return to action.
When that is, though, remains an open-ended question.
Jones has proven to be more than capable enough of leading San Francisco to quality wins. His timing and decision-making have been a little less than crisp behind a struggling offensive line and an inconsistent run game. But, in Jones' defense, the Niners have been missing a full supporting cast of superstar-type players since the season began. The offensive rhythm has greatly suffered along with their confidence on that side of the ball.
It's been a theme, one San Francisco can't seem to figure out and one that'll continue to haunt Purdy, Jones and Co. into the second half of the season.
The Niners have been known for their great resilience over the last several years. However, they are now facing uncertainties about depth, adaptability and the growing concerns of their inability to keep players healthy. Since 2017, San Francisco has led the league in games players have missed due to injury with a total of 2,036. And that trend only continues to grow. If the Niners are going to have any type of post-season success, they must figure out how to keep these guys on the field.
Despite all the bad injury related news, hope isn't completely lost. The 49ers, somehow, are 5-3 with three in-division wins over their NFC West rivals already, which may be vital in light of the greater playoff picture.
If the Niners can somehow navigate their injuries and rediscover their identity, they'll remain in title contention.
Unfortunate reality might be setting in for Harrison Brunicke
The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped their Saturday matinee to the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 in which they started slow and could never recover in time. But there was more than just a slow start and a defeat to one of the Western Conference's best teams, that was a tough pill to swallow.
The Penguins will have to make a tough decision soon on if they should send 19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke back to his junior team or keep him in the NHL. But after Saturday's game, it feels like that decision might have been made already.
In the contest, Brunicke just generally looked lost in his own zone and was the direct cause of the Jets second goal of the game which came early in the first period. Brunicke was doing his best to block a cross-crease pass and did not get his stick down in time. So, Jets forward Brad Lambert had a backdoor tap-in to make it 2-0 Jets early in the first.
Defenseman like Brunicke are going to want to do everything they can to get their sticks down and in position to block the cross-crease pass. Brunicke did not and the result showed. He also did not have inside positioning on Lambert so Lambert was able to box him out and score the goal.
It definitely seems like with the way head coach Dan Muse has been scratching Brunicke and playing him every now and then, that sending him back to his junior team is becoming inevitable. That kind of load management does not bode well for his chances of staying with the Penguins.
It might be ideal for him to get one more year in juniors and then be fully ready next season. That is for Muse and general manager Kyle Dubas to decide, but the answer seems like it might be in the cards for Brunicke.
