4 reasons the 49ers should be thankful this holiday season

The 49ers have so much to be thankful for.

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The San Francicsco 49ers have a lot to be thankful as the time of year to reflect on these things has come. What are some of the biggest reasons why fans should be thankful for the 2025 edition of the 49ers?

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The 49ers have won a lot of games with a backup quarterback 

The San Francisco 49ers have had their starting quarterback for just four games this season and yet the team is 8-4. That does not happen much. Think about a team like the Cincinnati Bengals, who saw their season end the minute Joe Burrow went down. 

Mac Jones has been great in relief of Purdy. Beyond that, they have had key contributions from other players to lift the boat. It is rare for a team to survive the type of roster turmoil this team has gone through and fans should be thankful that the wins kept coming. 

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Robert Saleh is back 

Everyone should say an extra thank you to Robert Saleh when they are the table with their family on Thursday. He has caused a lot less stress amongst family members. In the past couple of seasons the thought was that the group was not as bad on paper as their stats indicated. 

Now, the thought is that they are playing above their head with all of the missing pieces. Saleh flipped this group overnight and all fans have to be happy he is back. 

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Some players are getting healthy at the right time

For a team as injury riddled as the 49ers, some things are turning in their favor at the right time. Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Ben Bartch, Bryce Huff, and Malik Mustapha have all returned to the lineup in recent weeks. Some players like Jaujuan Jennings and Dominick Puni were clearly playing through an injury, and it appears they are starting to get healthier and playing better. 

They will never be a complete group, but fans have to be thankful that it looked much worse in Week 7 than it will in Week 13. 

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Playoff football is coming 

Are they contenders, pretenders, does it really matter, they are in the dance? When you have Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh, and a team that is playing one-game elimination matches, the 49ers have a chance. When a Shanahan group makes the playoffs they are always dangerous and everyone in the NFL knows it. 

Fans could be watching draft prospects right now, but instead, the talk is seeding, matchups, and depth chart debates. Embrace the fun, 49ers fans, and be thankful you are not the Arizona Cardinals.