Injuries have once again become a defining storyline for the San Francisco 49ers, a familiar frustration for fans. The team's depth has been tested repeatedly this season, and Sunday's 26-15 loss to the Houston Texans only added to the growing list of setbacks.
Several key defensive players were forced to exit early. Defensive linemen Jordan Elliott and Sam Okuayinonu both suffered ankle injuries and did not return, while linebacker Dee Winters left the game with a knee issue. It's the latest in a string of injuries that have plagued the 49ers' roster throughout the year.
Even head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted that, after years of managing rosters hit hard by injuries, he's grown accustomed to it.
"Injuries are part of the game," Shanahan said after Sunday's loss. "I used to get a lot more frustrated with it. Now, I'm a lot more used to it, just over my career. The frustrating part is trying to find answers, and it not working throughout that game."
Despite the mounting setbacks, Shanahan hopes none of the latest injuries will keep players sidelined long-term.
"Two ankles, didn't look like highs," he explained. "Dee Winters with his knee, just inflammation, things like that. So hopefully, it'll be alright."
When asked about the challenge of coaching a team that continues to lose players to injury, Shanahan acknowledged the difficulty but emphasized that the 49ers are capable of playing better than they showed on Sunday.
"It makes it harder, but we played a lot better last week," he said. "So, we can do a lot better than we did today."
The 49ers' defense continues to adjust to life without cornerstone playmakers like linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa, forcing younger players to step up and fill critical roles.
Shanahan admitted he expected these past two games to be challenging and understands that injuries will remain part of the team's ongoing story this season. In the end, the 49ers must play better collectively if they expect to overcome adversity.
"All those things, you guys can write about that stuff, but yeah, it's definitely harder when you lose really good players," Shanahan admitted. "But we've had that situation throughout this year, and all I want us to do is play as good as we can play. And then, you can deal with whatever. And today, we didn't play as good as we could play."