When you can’t explain something that has consistently been an issue, you grasp at straws—like an electrical substation. Anybody following the San Francisco 49ers can’t pinpoint the root cause of the injuries that were once again a problem in 2025.
The annual adjusted games lost article is out. In a surprise to nobody, the 49ers were once again among the most injured teams in the NFL. According to adjusted games lost, the Niners lost the sixth-most offensive games due to injury and fifth-most on the defensive side of the ball. Those numbers are an improvement from the 2024 season, when no team was more injured than San Francisco, and it wasn’t particularly close.
The 49ers were one of three teams to finish in the top 10 in adjusted games lost and still make the playoffs. The other two teams were the Chargers and the Texans. Conversely, seven of the ten teams with the lowest adjusted games lost made the postseason.
It’s worth pointing out that adjusted games lost only measure the regular season. So George Kittle’s torn Achilles doesn’t count. Still, it’s no surprise to see the Niners listed so high after Brock Purdy, Kittle, Ricky Pearsall, Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams, and Fred Warner all missed significant time.
Having a team consistently hampered by injuries should be a factor in the front office’s offseason decision. For example, the 49ers are a team to keep an eye on for Mike Evans, but Evans just missed half of 2025. Investing in Trey Hendrickson, a season after he was limited to seven games, would be a questionable move. The same is true for any NFL Draft prospect with a notable injury history.
Looking within the division, no team lost more games to injury than the Arizona Cardinals, who were dead last offensively and second to last defensively. You name it, and that position was probably banged up and missed significant time for the Cardinals in 2025.
The Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks were the third-least injured offense, while their defense finished 13th. The Los Angeles Rams were 14th and ninth on each side of the ball, respectively.
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