The San Francisco 49ers went 10-22 in Kyle Shanahan’s first two seasons as head coach.

In the five seasons since, they have reached the NFC Championship Game four times and the Super Bowl twice.

The only year this wasn’t the case was 2020, when their season was marred by injuries to several stars, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and pass rusher Nick Bosa, to name a few. was largely doomed to failure.

A similar dynamic has developed this year. Star running back Christian McCaffrey has played in just four games due to leg and foot injuries and is unlikely to return this season. His backups Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason are also injured, and Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco’s fourth running back, will not play tonight because of a sprained ankle.

The injuries aren’t limited to the running back room either. Starting linebacker Dre Greenlaw has yet to play a snap this season after tearing his Achilles tendon in last year’s Super Bowl. Star offensive lineman Trent Williams is expected to miss his fourth straight game with an ankle injury. Bosa has problems with his hips and oblique muscles. Brandon Aiyuk, who just signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension in training camp, is out for the remainder of the year after tearing his ACL in Week 6.

And that list doesn’t even include Kittle, Samuel and quarterback Brock Purdy, who have also missed games this season due to injury but should be ready to play tonight against the Rams.