The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with injuries to key players all season, but they've been able to defy the odds and make the playoffs despite the losses. They'll have to continue to do that, as another important player went down with a season-ending injury, and it's Tatum Bethune, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic.
“LBs Tatum Bethune (groin) is out for the rest of the season. The other two LBs, Dee Winters (ankle) and Luke Gifford (quad) will be evaluated later this week,” Barrows wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
It will once again be next man up for the 49ers, and they've shown this season that they have what it takes. The 49ers have depth on both sides of the ball, which is the reason why they've been able to stay afloat throughout the year. They went some time without Brock Purdy due to injuries, but Mac Jones came in and weathered the storm.
On defense is where they've seen most of their losses, especially to their key players. Fred Warner and Nick Bosa suffered injuries earlier in the season, and the 49ers have found a way to navigate without their two best defenders. In the end, they were in play to possibly get the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but they lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18.
That also means that they don't have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but head coach Kyle Shanahan is embracing them becoming road warriors.
“We’re ready for it. It would have been nice to have home game here, both home games and get a bye, but it is what it is,” Shanahan said. “This team has been through a lot this year and now we got to do it the hard way. We’ll embrace it by doing it the hard way and we’ll look forward to it.”
The 49ers know what it takes to make a playoff run, and they'll be ready for the challenge again.
