{"id":255822,"date":"2025-11-22T11:32:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T16:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=255822"},"modified":"2025-11-22T11:32:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T16:32:36","slug":"four-49ers-to-be-thankful-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/11\/22\/four-49ers-to-be-thankful-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Four 49ers to Be Thankful For"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Thanksgiving approaches, the San Francisco 49ers have plenty to be thankful for. Despite a wave of injuries on both sides of the ball, the 49ers enter Week 12 with a 7\u20134 record and sit firmly in the NFC playoff race. Staying competitive without several key starters is a testament to the coaching staff\u2019s adjustments and the contributions of players who have stepped up when the team needed them most.<\/span><\/p>\n

Four 49ers to Be Thankful For<\/h2>\n

NFL and Thanksgiving Tradition<\/h3>\n

For decades, families have spent Thanksgiving watching NFL games, especially the traditional matchups featuring the Detroit Lions<\/a> and Dallas Cowboys<\/a>. The 49ers do not play on Thanksgiving this year. However, the holiday week is the perfect time to highlight a few team members who deserve extra appreciation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dominick Puni \u2014 One of the 49ers to Be Thankful For<\/h3>\n
\"Dominick
Oct 19, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Dominick Puni (77) before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Up front, future Hall of Fame left tackle Trent Williams gets most of the attention among the 49ers\u2019 offensive linemen. Coaches and analysts have long recognized his importance in protecting quarterback Brock Purdy\u2019s blind side. He has handled that job admirably, but he is only one part of the quintet that keeps the 49ers\u2019 offense functioning. His relentless blocking gives Purdy time to throw and running back Christian McCaffrey room to run.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second-year right guard Dominick Puni has made massive strides this season. He has not missed a game while playing through a PCL injury in his knee. The 49ers averaged just 82.2 rushing yards<\/a> per game over the first six weeks when Puni was not fully healthy. In recent weeks, they have averaged 110 rushing yards per game \u2014 a sizable increase that reflects the difference a healthy Puni makes in the run game.<\/span><\/p>\n

His development bodes well for the team\u2019s future and reflects how valuable Williams\u2019 mentorship has been for the younger offensive linemen.<\/span><\/p>\n

George Kittle \u2014 Passionate Leader and Reliable Target<\/h3>\n

Tight end George Kittle is a one-of-a-kind person and player. Teammates and coaches praise him for his personality, energy, and genuine love for football on and off the field. That passion shows in the effort he brings every week. Kittle\u2019s presence gives McCaffrey an extra blocker up front and Purdy a reliable target over the middle and down the seams. While he may not put up the same receiving numbers as Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Kittle<\/a> remains one of the best all-around tight ends in the league.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 49ers will need every bit of his contributions down the stretch if they hope to chase down the Los Angeles Rams<\/a> and\/or Seattle Seahawks<\/a> in the tightly contested NFC West.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mac Jones \u2014 A 49ers Player to Be Thankful For<\/h3>\n

Where would this team be without quarterback Mac Jones, who played above-average football during his nine starts in relief of the injured Purdy? In those nine games, Jones threw for 2,151 yards and 13 touchdowns, teaming with McCaffrey to lead the 49ers to a 6\u20133 record in that span. He had only two games with fewer than 200 passing yards and no passing touchdowns \u2014 an impressive feat for someone discarded by the New England Patriots<\/a> in their search for Tom Brady\u2019s successor. His performance was even more notable considering he played without Kittle, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, and several other injured pass-catchers in multiple matchups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much credit goes to coach Kyle Shanahan, an offensive mastermind who previously revived current Seahawks starter Sam Darnold\u2019s career. The 49ers were smart to keep Jones beyond this year. His two-year contract ensures he will remain a reliable option in case Purdy gets hurt again, unless another team comes calling with a trade offer.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Coaching Staff \u2014 Keeping the Team on Track<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Many teams would have crumbled under the massive injury bug that hit the 49ers this season. Yet, San Francisco has a winning record and remains in the playoff hunt thanks in large part to the steady leadership and strong coaching from Shanahan, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, and their staff.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 49ers have stayed afloat by keeping backup players ready and preventing the season from unraveling. The staff\u2019s experience dealing with last year\u2019s injury issues has clearly helped \u2014 even if McCaffrey, the one player the team truly cannot afford to lose, was the most significant absence in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 49ers first have a tough Monday night matchup against the vastly improved Carolina Panthers<\/a>. After that, they can use Thanksgiving week to regroup and prepare for the final five games of the regular season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Image: Julian Leshay Guadal – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Thanksgiving approaches, the San Francisco 49ers have plenty to be thankful for. Despite a wave of injuries on both sides of the ball, the 49ers enter Week 12 with a 7\u20134 record and sit firmly in the NFC playoff race. Staying competitive without several key starters is a testament to the coaching staff\u2019s adjustments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5641,"featured_media":255862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,6431],"tags":[32495,1960,7261,7325],"class_list":["post-255822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-49ers","category-nfl-teams","tag-dominick-puni","tag-george-kittle","tag-mac-jones","tag-san-francisco-49ers-news"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5641"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255822"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":255864,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255822\/revisions\/255864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}