Why Woody confidently claims 49ers’ Super Bowl window is closed originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Many NFL analysts are losing faith in the 49ers’ ability to contend for their highly coveted sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.
And after San Francisco’s 28-18 loss to quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the 6-0 Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, ESPN’s Damien Woody added his name to the list of doubters.
“The 49ers’ Super Bowl window is closed,” Woody said on Monday’s “Get Up” episode. “It’s closed. The one thing about the 49ers; once you get in the door, you damn well about to take advantage of it. Because — we all know this — you play deep in the playoffs every year. Every year. Every year.
“You know what catches up to you? Health. That’s one component of going a long distance, you have to be healthy. They are not healthy because they play deep almost every single year, and they have not capitalized.”
There’s no denying it, San Francisco is banged up.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw ruptured his Achilles in February during the 49ers’ Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Chiefs. He hasn’t played a down this season, nor has running back Christian McCaffrey who is recovering from bilateral Achilles tendinitis after earning 2023 Offensive Player of the Year for his heavy offensive load.
San Francisco lost defensive tackle Javon Hargrave for the 2024 NFL season after he suffered a partially torn right triceps against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3 at SoFi Stadium. And on Sunday, the 49ers lost wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk — who signed a four-year, $120 million contract extension after “holding in” this offseason — for the remainder of the season after it was confirmed he tore his ACL.
Woody claimed San Francisco’s stars are hurt due to the team’s consistently long seasons. While that might be true and the 49ers reached four of the last five NFC Championship Games, it’s unfair to blame the team for routinely being on the last teams standing.
The facts are that San Francisco is 3-4 and second in the NFC West behind the 4-3 Rams. The 49ers aren’t far behind considering how miserably their season has started.
If McCaffrey returns soon and the injury bug dies down, San Francisco still can make a run. After all, 11 games remain.
But until anything changes, Woody won’t consider the 49ers in Super Bowl LIX talk.
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