It has been unfamiliar terrain for the 49ers, having all these healthy bodies for a stretch run that could lead to Super Bowl LVII.
No one is going to talk about it much, for fear of the other shoe dropping to the turf after the loss of a key player.
But let’s face it: A franchise that in some years has considered itself cursed has become blessed when it comes to a factor that can make or break a season.
How blessed are the 49ers when it comes to injuries?
Have you ever heard of a team that lost two starting quarterbacks in the same season and then got better once they were replaced?
That’s right. Got better. Improved. Saw the quality of offensive play elevated to something where it wasn’t moments before.
That is no knock on Trey Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance, after a small sample size, looked as if there were some growing pains on the horizon before going out in Week 2 against Seattle with a broken ankle.
Enter Garoppolo, who finished off the Seattle game as if he hadn’t actually missed all of training camp, predictably receded in a Week 3 11-10 loss to Chicago, and then guided the 49ers to an 8-4 record before breaking his foot against Miami.
Enter Brock Purdy, and you know how that’s going after a 41-23 wild card round win over Seattle Saturday. at Levi’s Stadium.
Purdy stared down the zero-blitzing Dolphins on Dec. 4 and has been a revelation ever since not only with his ability to execute Kyle Shanahan’s offense, but with a creativity that was foreign to either of his predecessors.
Give Shanahan credit for adjusting his offense on the fly from Lance to Garoppolo and Garoppolo to Purdy. The 49ers were smart to hold on to Garoppolo in camp rather than set him free, because who knows when Purdy was actually ready to do what he’s doing now?
But a lot of it is simply good luck, and it’s spread all over the roster. The only starter lost for the season was cornerback Emmanuel Moseley with a torn ACL on Oct. 9 in Carolina. It was and is a significant loss.
That’s been the extent of it though, as injured 49ers have not only come back, but returned in top form. Going into the Seattle game, the 49ers weren’t sure if guard Aaron Banks (knee/ankle) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (back) would be available. Banks played every snap and Greenlaw missed one.
That’s the way it’s gone for the 49ers in 2022, with a roll call of wounded players who came back to contribute:
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel: Samuel was disconsolate when taken off on a cart on Dec. 11 against Tampa Bay, thinking he was done for the year. He ended up missing three games with MCL and ankle sprains and caught six passes for 133 yards and a 74-yard touchdown against Seattle. It was his best game of the season.
Defensive tackle Arik Armstead: Missed seven games with a stress fracture near his left ankle and plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Didn’t play from Oct. 3 to Dec. 4 and has been a towering anchor at 6-foot-7, 290 pounds ever since. Mr. Inside to Nick Bosa’s Mr. Outside.
Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw: Ended last season on injured reserve with a chronically bad knee which required surgery. Went back on on I.R. after Week 3 and didn’t return until Week 16. Played 30 snaps against Seattle and recovery has been a pleasant surprise.
Offensive tackle Trent Williams: When Williams went down in Week 3 in Denver, the 49ers immediately feared the worst. But instead of an ACL sprain, Williams had a high ankle sprain. Usually a six- to eight-week injury, Williams was back after missing three games and was a first-team All-Pro for the second straight year.
Tight end George Kittle: Kittle came out of training camp with a groin strain, missed the first two games of the season and wasn’t himself upon return. But the current version of Kittle has improved steadily and is much healthier than the one who went into the playoffs a year ago. The explosion is back and he’s got a strong connection with Purdy with seven touchdown receptions in the last four regular season games.
Defensive back Jimmie Ward: The 49ers free safety joined Kittle on the sidelines with a hamstring strain to open the season. In the meantime, the 49ers signed Tashaun Gipson, who played well enough along with Talanoa Hufanga that it pushed Ward to nickel back upon return. Ward immediately broke his hand covering a kick in Week 5. He missed just one more game.
Running back Elijah Mitchell: Has been on I.R. with an MCL strain not once, but twice, and returned both times. Ability to shed tackles and produce inside is evident when healthy. Has 279 yards and averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Had a rough go on the ground against Seattle (nine carries, two yards) but caught two passes for 25 yards, one which set up a touchdown and other a 7-yard touchdown.
Offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey: A torn quadriceps cost McGlinchey the final nine games of the 2021 season as well as the postseason. The injury was serious enough he was by no means a sure thing during training camp, but he hasn’t missed a game this season, and he’s overcome a rib injury in the process.
That list doesn’t even include players such as linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and reserve lineman Colton McKivitz, both of whom had four-game stints on I.R. and are back in the fold.
Although not quite as dramatic as what’s happened with the quarterbacks, the injuries to Mitchell and Ward actually improved the team rather than detract from it.
Mitchell’s first absence helped push the 49ers toward taking a serious look at trading for Christian McCaffrey, who became the dominant offensive player down the stretch. If Mitchell was churning out yardage with Jeff Wilson Jr. in reserve, there’s no guarantee the 49ers depart with all those draft picks to bring in McCaffrey.
Of course, McCaffrey arrived with his own injury questions, having missed 22 games over the previous two years. He hasn’t missed a game.
In Ward’s case, it forced the 49ers to start Gipson alongside Talanoa Hufanga and put the veteran in a position as nickel corner to play a position where he can make more of an impact than at free safety.
Both times, adversity in the form of injury actually made the 49ers a stronger team rather than a weaker one.
Now it’s up to the 49ers to capitalize on all this good fortune.
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