The 49ers head into Sunday with the kind of cushion teams usually earn by being healthy, not by surviving a pileup of injuries. Yet here they are: 6-1, sitting No. 1 in the NFC, and back from the bye with a home date against the 4-4 Las Vegas Raiders at Levi’s Stadium.
That’s the strange part of San Francisco’s season so far. The injury report has been crowded for three straight years, and 2026 started the same way before the 49ers even kicked off. Alfred Collins tore his patellar tendon in practice in Melbourne during the week of the opener, knocking him out for the year before San Francisco ever faced the Rams.
The defensive front took hit after hit from there. Within the first two weeks, Collins, Sam Okuayinonu, C.J.
West, James Thompson Jr., and rookie Romello Height were all hurt. Then Nick Bosa strained his calf while warming up for practice ahead of Week 3, a brutal blow after he had already fought back from the torn ACL that wiped out nearly all of 2025 and looked like his old self in the first two games.
But the 49ers didn’t fold. Raheem Morris’ defense kept grinding with Mykel Williams, Keion White, and Khalid Kareem carrying more of the load, and the results kept coming. San Francisco beat Arizona 36-30, took care of Denver 24-14, and then went into Seattle and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions 32-29, a result that may end up as the season’s biggest so far.
The offense has been piecing things together too, just at a different spot. Ricky Pearsall’s knee injury ended his season.
Jake Tonges was lost in Week 1. De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson both landed on injured reserve with ankle injuries.
Mike Evans, brought in to give Brock Purdy a true No. 1 target, hurt his Achilles in the Monday night win over Washington and has also been dealing with a rib injury. Deebo Samuel’s hamstring has kept him out as well.
Still, Purdy has kept the machine moving by spreading the ball around to George Kittle, Christian Kirk, Brandin Cooks, and younger pieces like Jordan Watkins and rookie running back Kaelon Black. The roster finally ran out of margin in Atlanta, where four turnovers - including two Purdy interceptions and a Kittle fumble - turned into a 29-20 loss and ended the perfect start.
The timing of the bye may have been just what San Francisco needed. Evans and Samuel are both trending toward a return, Christian McCaffrey is expected back from a mild hamstring strain, and Bosa got an extra week to let his calf recover. Shanahan also mentioned Marques Sigle, Luke Gifford, Garret Wallow, and West as players who could be back in the mix.
The bigger picture is still looming. A Sunday night matchup with the 6-1 Vikings on November 22 and a home rematch with Seattle the following week are waiting down the road. But first comes Las Vegas, and if the 49ers come out of the bye healthier and handle business on Sunday, they’ll only strengthen the feeling that they’re the team to beat in the NFC.
In Other News...
49ers-Raiders Win Turned Into A Disturbing Levi's Stadium Security Story
The 49ers 38-17 win over the Raiders at Levis Stadium should have been remembered as a cleanly handled preseason result and another step in the Bay Area rivalry. Instead, the postgame conversation quickly shifted away from the scoreboard and toward what was happening in the stands and around the venue, where multiple fan fights broke out and turned an otherwise routine night into something far more troubling.
Security and police were left dealing with a wave of disorder that stretched beyond the field, with incidents serious enough to draw video attention and prompt a broader response from authorities. The investigation is ongoing, and officials are asking witnesses to come forward as they try to piece together how a game that was supposed to be about football became a disturbing scene outside the stadium. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Face One More Trade Deadline Decision At Wide Receiver
With the trade deadline approaching, the 49ers are still weighing whether to make one more move to steady a receiver group that has been hit hard by injuries. The front office has already shown a willingness to keep looking for help, and the latest possibility centers on a receiver who could fit both the immediate need and the long-term roster picture.
Indianapolis has reportedly already received at least a fourth-round offer for the player in question, which puts San Francisco in a position to decide how aggressive it wants to be. The appeal is clear: a young receiver on a rookie deal who has asked for a trade, but the 49ers still have to determine whether meeting the market is worth the cost as the deadline closes in. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Enter Cowboys Week With One Big Question At Receiver
The 49ers are heading into Week 10 with their receiver rotation still in flux, and the timing is hardly ideal with Dallas on deck. Kyle Shanahan said Deebo Samuel is expected back at practice on Wednesday, which at least gives San Francisco a chance to get one of its top playmakers moving again as the week opens.
Mike Evans, though, remains the bigger concern. John Lynch said his absence is being handled cautiously to protect his long-term health, and the veteran receiver is not expected to practice this week after missing the last two games. With a third straight absence now in play, the 49ers may have to keep adjusting their plan at a spot where they can least afford uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]