This Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers start their 2025 season on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. After a tumultuous 2024 season, 49ers fans and players are likely eager to start a new campaign and prove that last year was the exception, not the rule.
Let’s take a look at some questions that need answering before the hype train can fully leave the station.
Who’s Healthy On Offense?
Quite a few key offensive contributors missed time for San Francisco last year. Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuels (now with the Washington Commanders), Christian McCaffrey, the list goes on.
In regard to Week One specifically, McCaffrey re-injured his calf this week at practice. While he hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday, his status likely won’t be clear until game day.
The same can be said for wide receiver Jajuan Jennings. Like McCaffrey, Jennings has a calf injury that has his status unclear for Sunday. If he doesn’t play, look for Ricky Pearsall to step up and be the main focus for Brock Purdy on the boundaries.
What Does the Defense Look Like?
Normally when a team adds a new defensive coordinator, there’s a lot of questions. What does the new scheme look like, how do players currently on the roster fit, etc.
But in this particular case, a lot of those questions already have answers. Robert Saleh returns to the role after serving in the same capacity from 2017-2020 and brings a familiar scheme back to familiar faces.
Among the familiar faces from Saleh’s first tenure are star players and team leaders Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. Having key players with that kind of immediate familiarity will likely help ease the transition from one coordinator to the next.
Now or Never for Jake Moody
49ers fans know the deal with kicker Jake Moody at this point. The erstwhile former No. 99 overall pick struggled last season to the tune of 24/34 on field goals for an abysmal 70.6% conversion rate.
Hope was raised after his 3-for-4 performance on field goals in their second preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.
However, reality sunk in the next week as he missed badly from 53 yards, barely made a 26-yarder, missed an extra point, and shanked a kickoff out of bounds vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. After two frustrating years, patience is running out for both fans and the team as they attempt to return to the postseason.
San Francisco is too talented to be a losing team this season. Littered with All Pro veterans and rising stars, they have a very high floor. But whether or not they hit their equally high ceiling in Week One will be predicated on if they can answer the questions above.