5 biggest disappointments halfway through 49ers 2025 season

Where should we begin?

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Now that the San Francisco 49ers have finished the first half of the 2025 season, it is a good time to look back at some of the more disappointing moments of the season so far. 

The 49ers will never get healthy

The thought during the first quarter of the season was that when San Francisco gets healthy, they are going to be dangerous. The last few weeks ensured that it would never happen.

When you think of the 49ers' defense, three of the most important names on the roster are Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Mykel Williams. The first two are the leaders and stars, the other is a rookie drafted so high that expectations were that he would make a big impact.

It is not just that all three got hurt, all three will miss the entire season with their injuries, and that kills a lot of the excitement moving forward. 

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Questionable return timetlnes 

Bosa, Warner, and Williams being out is disappointing, but the injuries to Ricky Pearsall and Brock Purdy are downright annoying. Neither has been placed in the IR; both have been expected to return any week now. However, we are six weeks and counting for both. 

Brandon Aiyuk was expected to return in Week 10, but that did not happen. Two weeks ago, Kyle Shanahan said he would return to practice in the next week. That obviously has not happened.

If there was any realistic timeline or understanding, it would be one thing, but the lack of clarity is frustrating. 

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Wide Receiver corps 

The 49ers' wide receiver corps has not lived up to any expectations. It does not help when two of the top three wideouts are hurt. Still, Pearsall has missed five games, and he is third amongst receivers in targets and second in yards by a receiver.

Kendrick Bourne leads the way and he was on the New England Patriots in August. Jauan Jennings has been nothing short of a disappointment, and Demarcus Robinson has not found himself after returning from suspension. The group is a mess.

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Stalled rookies

At the start of the season and even the quarter mark, this was a positive. However, Marques Sigle and Connor Colby were benched, and the team went out of their way to ensure both happened.

Williams tore his ACL after an up-and-down rookie year. CJ West and Nick Martin do not play, and while Upton Stout and Alfred Collins do, Collins started slow, and Stout has plateaued in recent weeks. What once was a promising group has so many questions now. 

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Explosive runs 

The 49ers' run game is not awful, but they lack any sort of explosiveness. Christian McCaffrey is the leading rusher and receiver, so he may just be out of juice. Still, they may need to play Brian Robinson more, because no offense can sustain with this little explosion.