“Tis but a scratch,” the Black Knight says after King Arthur severs his arm in the Monty Python movie the Holy Grail. The Black Knight valiantly chooses to fight on even with both arms and both legs sliced off by King Arthur.
The San Francisco 49ers have valiantly chosen to fight on too … and won all six of their games while having key players from both sides of the ball severed from their lineup by injuries.
Brock Purdy’s receiving corps took a hit before the season began when third-year wideout Rickey Pearsall was lost for the season to a knee injury. Once the season started, the 49ers loss of wideouts included a hamstring injury suffered by Deebo Samuel two weeks ago and Monday night’s aggravated Achilles that will sideline Mike Evans when the 49ers meet the Falcons this week in Atlanta.
The defense has also been rocked by injuries. All-Pro defensive lineman Nick Bosa has spent the season on the sidelines with a knee injury. Linebackers Garnet Wallow and Luke Gifford are sidelined with a hamstring and groin injury respectively. Safety Marques Sigle is also likely not available on Sunday with an ankle injury.
“Tis but a scratch,” may be a funny line in the Monty Python classic, but the 49ers for the second consecutive season, have incurred a rash of injuries that once again they look to overcome. Last year, despite a similar group of wounded, the team advanced all the way to the playoffs and won their opening postseason game over the Eagles in Philadelphia. Then they met the eventual Super Bowl Champion Seahawks and got whooped.
Kyle Shanahan deserves better. He and John Lynch joined the team together nine years ago and have been one of the most successful management tandems in the league. They rebuilt a San Francisco team that had won only two games the season before they took over in 2017. With their leadership, the Niners have advanced to the playoffs five times, won the NFC West three times and twice represented the National Football Conference in the Super Bowl.