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The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the most well-rounded teams over the past few seasons, being one of the few franchises to compile top-ten offenses and defenses in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
However, one area that has struggled for the 49ers has been their special teams unit, which caused San Francisco to switch coordinators from Richard Hightower to Brian Schneider in 2022.
Well, that issue may not be an issue anymore, as the 49ers are ranked seventh in special-teams DVOA, according to Akash Anavaranthan, making them the lone team in the NFL that has top-seven marks all in three aspects of the game.
A good part of their early special teams' success has been the strong starts for kicker Jake Moody and punter Mitch Wishnowsky, with the former hitting all nine of his field goals, while the latter has hit 70% of his punts inside the opposing 20-yard line.
While their coverage units have seen a few inopportune penalties thus far, it's promising to see early success from the 49ers' special teams unit, with both of their top specialists earning their money thus far.
With a strong offense and defense already, if the 49ers can get their special-teams unit in place, it'll only boost their other two groups, benefitting the 49ers with good field position on either side, creating even more scoring opportunities.
John Lynch: Losing Hufanga is tough, but 49ers fortunate to have Ji'Ayir Brown
By David Bonilla
Nov 21
John Lynch clung to hope that safety Talanoa Hufanga hadn't sustained a severe injury during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unfortunately, fears were confirmed when it was revealed that Hufanga had torn his ACL and would miss the remainder of the season.
"I went in and saw him in the locker room after," Lynch said Tuesday morning on Bay Area radio station KNBR's "Murph and Mac" show. "He was still hanging on to hope. I was trying to, but unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards."
The silver lining is that the 49ers had a contingency plan. Rookie Ji'Ayir Brown, drafted in the third round, seamlessly stepped into Hufanga's position alongside Tashaun Gipson, demonstrating his NFL readiness.
"First of all, with Huf, I mean, those
49ers Notebook: Nine years later, 49ers get Thanksgiving revenge over Seahawks; Shanahan, Purdy discuss key throws vs. Seahawks; What happened to Christian McCaffrey's helmet?
By Kirk Larrabee
Nov 24
It took nine years, but the San Francisco 49ers finally got some payback on Thursday night for the Seattle Seahawks feasting on turkey after a win at Levi's Stadium in 2014.
The Seahawks' 19-3 win over the 49ers on Thanksgiving in 2014 was the last time either team played on Thanksgiving before Thursday night, and after that game then-Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and cornerback Richard Sherman dug into the postgame turkey at the 50-yard line of Levi's Stadium at a time when the rivalry between the two teams was at a peak. The 49ers flipped the script on Thursday, notching a 31-13 win over the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle that was followed by a slew of 49ers getting their fill of Thanksgiving turkey, courtesy of NBC.
"That was a moment I'll remember
No Huddle Podcast: 49ers Thanksgiving Revenge And Philly Week
By Site Staff
Nov 27
(Episode 289) - Brian Renick is joined by Jason Aponte, the host of the Sprint Right Option podcast and also a Niners Nation contributor. The guys react to the Seahawks' win, the biggest takeaways on offense and defense, the NFC playoff picture, and Philly week!
The audio for the show is embedded above. Don't forget to subscribe!
You can listen to the latest "No Huddle Podcast" episode above, from our dedicated podcast page, on
49ers bring in familiar face for workout amidst roster injuries
By David Bonilla
Nov 27
The San Francisco 49ers are turning to a familiar face for a workout following injuries to two safeties, Talanoa Hufanga and George Odum. Hufanga suffered a torn ACL in Week 11, while Odum sustained a torn biceps on Thanksgiving.
According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, veteran defensive back Anthony Averett will work out for the 49ers on Monday. Averett briefly joined San Francisco's roster during training camp in August but was released with an injury settlement on August 17.
Veteran DB Anthony Averett is working out today for the
