The San Francisco 49ers entered the NFL season with high hopes and expectations.
They were pretty close to winning the Super Bowl just months before.
Fast forward to today, and they won’t even make the playoffs.
Of course, there are a lot of factors that hurt their chances this season.
Nevertheless, former NFL player James Jones believes Dre Greenlaw’s absence was the most determining one.
On FOX Sports’ “The Facility,” Jones argued that the Niners’ debacle started before this season.
James Jones on the main reason for the 49ers downfall in 2024:
“For me it’s Dre Greenlaw. I blame him and it started in the Super Bowl. In the Super Bowl game when Dre Greenlaw was in that game the Chiefs had 80 yards and zero points. When he went out of that football game, they… pic.twitter.com/5Yz2dwXFYE
— Coach Yac ? (@Coach_Yac) December 25, 2024
He believes that Greenlaw’s season-ending injury derailed their entire defense.
As great a player as Fred Warner is, Greenlaw’s physicality is contagious and gets that defense going.
He does have a valid point about his defensive impact, especially against the run.
Greenlaw was hurt for most of the season, and he sustained a calf injury in his second game back.
He’s likely to be shut down for the season, as the Niners are eliminated from playoff contention and have no point in risking further injury.
This has been a brutal season with injuries for the Niners.
They haven’t been able to catch a break since the start of the year.
And with their roster only getting older and more expensive, they might want to have some serious discussions about their future.
That’s especially true if they intend to pay Brock Purdy as much money as the reports suggest he will demand in his next contract.
NEXT: Brock Purdy Has Honest Admission About Meeting Dan Marino
