The San Francisco 49ers continue to be crushed by injuries to key players, and on Sunday against the Houston Texans, they lost a couple more contributors, including starting Will linebacker Dee Winters, who had a knee ailment.
They lost the game, 26-15, and that final score doesn’t indicate how lopsided the contest was in some ways. The Niners only mustered 223 yards of total offense and had virtually no running attack, while Houston put together 475 total offensive yards. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 30 of his 39 passing attempts and ended up with 318 passing yards and two touchdown passes.
Afterward, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if this loss, which dropped their record to 5-3, makes a trade more likely.
“Nothing changes anything,” Shanahan said, per 49ers Webzone. “It has to do with what’s available out there, and does it help us this year, does it help us next year. Usually, as things get closer, you get a little more idea on who’s real and who’s not, and we’ll evaluate that for the short term and long term.”
Read more: 49ers GM John Lynch Offers Update on Trade Speculation
With all the injuries the 49ers have had to deal with this year, one would think that some type of trade will need to be consummated before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. Defensive end Nick Bosa and middle linebacker Fred Warner are out for the year with a torn ACL and ankle injury, respectively, and Bryce Huff, their other starting DE, is currently sidelined with a hamstring ailment.
The team has been linked to players such as Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who would be a massive get for any team. He was out of action Sunday against the New York Jets due to a hip injury, but he has put up four sacks through six games this season. He led the NFL last season with 17.5 sacks.
One has to wonder how sustainable San Francisco’s solid 5-3 start is, given how depleted its forces are. Last year, the team started 5-4 while being hit by another massive string of key injuries, only to lose seven of its final eight games and miss the playoffs.
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The 49ers will head to Bergen County to play the New York Giants, who are one of the NFL’s worst defensive teams, next Sunday before returning home to host the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 9.
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