Christian McCaffrey

The San Francisco 49ers experienced a familiar frustrating feeling in Week 1 during their dramatic win over the Seattle Seahawks, as they saw another star player go down with injury.

After a 2024 season in which their hopes of avoiding a Super Bowl hangover were derailed by a string of injury setbacks, the 49ers sustained a big-time blow as All-Pro tight end left the season opener with a hamstring injury and did not return.

The 49ers were able to overcome that significant adversity, with one of Kittle’s backups stepping up huge as third-string tight end Jake Tonges caught what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 1:50 remaining.

Kittle is set to have an MRI on the injury to confirm the severity, but as the 49ers aim to bounce back from a 6-11 season, they would be forgiven for thinking the football gods remain firmly against their dreams of glory.

Six-time Pro Bowler Kittle played all but two games last season and the Niners will be desperate for him to avoid a prolonged absence that woudl clearly hurt their prospects of building on a winning start to the campaign.

While there is concern for Kittle, there were positive days for several players who contributed to the 49ers’ injury woes of 2024.

Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey was always going to be under an intense spotlight in the season opener after he missed all but four games last season due to bilateral Achilles tendinitis and a posterior cruciate ligament injury. The scrutiny on the 49ers’ star running back was increased when he popped up on the injury report on Thursday with a calf issue that forced him to miss Friday’s practice.

But McCaffrey played in Seattle and did not look like a player carrying an injury as he made an impressive return to action. McCaffrey averaged just 3.1 yards per carry as he finished with 69 yards on 22 rush attempts, but he was extremely impactful as a receiver, resuming his role as a checkdown weaponizer for Brock Purdy and catching nine of 10 targets for 73 yards.

McCaffrey was undoubtedly the focal point of the offense, especially with Kittle going down, but he still had the opportunity to get a decent amount of rest as Brian Robinson Jr. spelled him with nine rush attempts.

There will be more spectacular performances from McCaffrey in the weeks to come, but this was a highly encouraging first game back from the man most consider to be the most important weapon on the 49er offense.

Trent Williams

The 49ers’ future Hall of Fame left tackle missed the last seven games of the 2024 season with an ankle injury, and there were worrying scenes in the second quarter when he limped off and went into the blue medical tent.

But Williams returned to action in what was a difficult day for the 49er offensive line in terms of pass protection. Indeed, Purdy was pressured on 57.9% of his dropbacks, per NextGen Stats, the highest rate of his career.

Per Pro Football Focus, Williams was responsible for six of those pressures, numbers that perhaps suggest the knee continued to be a problem thereafter.

Yet when it mattered most, Williams produced impressive protection on what proved to be the game-winning touchdown from Purdy to Jake Tonges. Williams gave up initial push to Derick Hall before sending the Seahawks edge rusher to the turf, buying Purdy the extra time to scramble to the right and find Tonges in the corner of the endzone.

Williams and the offensive line will hope for a cleaner game next week against the Saints, but the 49ers would likely be 0-1 without the pass blocking he delivered on the final drive.

Nick Bosa

Bosa dealt with hip issues down the stretch in 2024, missing three games. Though he returned for the final games of that campaign, Bosa was clearly not 100% healthy.

With those problems behind him in Week 1, Bosa made sure that a largely frustrating day for a defensive line that did not generate consistent pressure ended in celebration.

Bosa forced and recovered the fumble that ended the game after the Seahawks had driven down to the San Francisco 9-yard line with a chance to score the decisive touchdown. The former Defensive Player of the Year drove right tackle Abe Lucas back into Sam Darnold’s lap with a vintage speed-to- power move that marked only his third pressure of the day.

In addition to his game-sealing play, Bosa also registered six solo tackles with three tackles for loss, illustrating his ability to impact the game in areas beyond pass rushing.

The 49ers will hope their young defensive line is able to have more regular success pressuring opposing quarterbacks going forward but, as long as they have Bosa, the Niners can afford to have confidence in their defense’s ability to finish games with one of the best closers in the business.

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