The San Francisco 49ers’ season ended in brutal fashion with a lopsided loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round. While Brock Purdy and the offense struggled, the postgame conversation quickly shifted to a familiar theme: injuries.
San Francisco entered the playoffs battered. Several offensive contributors missed time during the season, and the defense was hit especially hard, with stars like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner sidelined for long stretches. After the loss, defensive back Deommodore Lenoir didn’t shy away from the topic.
Speaking on KNBR, Lenoir claimed that a fully healthy 49ers squad would have won in a “landslide.” He did acknowledge that excuses don’t change the outcome, adding that the team had enough talent available to win—but the comment raised eyebrows given the final score.
Defensively, the argument holds some weight. Having Bosa and Warner on the field could have dramatically altered Seattle’s game plan. Offensively, however, the case is far weaker. Purdy was healthy, and key weapons like Christian McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall, and Trent Williams were all active. The only major absence was George Kittle.
While lingering injuries may have limited effectiveness, San Francisco largely had its starting offense intact. That makes the idea of a “landslide” win hard to accept after such a one-sided defeat.
Maybe with a fully healthy roster—and fewer off-field distractions earlier in the year—the game is closer. But after being dominated from start to finish, claiming the outcome would’ve flipped entirely feels more like frustration than reality.