The 2025 49ers are still frustrating, but not the frustrating disappointment of 2024

In early October 2024, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Arizona Cardinals. This was after they had blown a game to the Los Angeles Rams a few weeks prior due to some mental miscues and missed field goals, and a lot of questions were piling up about the team as a whole and their ability to finish. They managed to embarrass the Dallas Cowboys, but there was something wrong, whether you wanted to admit it.

Up 13 points to start the second half, the 49ers blew the lead and lost 24-23, highlighted by a fourth-and-five play where Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw a floater off his back foot and found someone despite the eons of airtime it had to be picked off or batted down. Who shouldered the blame was a talking point following the game: was it the defense that blew a 13-point lead in 30 minutes of play with nary an answer? Or was it the offense with its redzone ineptitude?

Regardless of who was to blame for the loss, one thing was apparent: if the 49ers’ defense didn’t shoulder the blame, previous losses also stemmed from their inability to close, so they certainly were not clean of it. The loss suggested that if the offense had an off day, the defense couldn’t be relied upon.

That’s not the same as the 2025 San Francisco 49ers. In a mirror of that 2024 game against the Cardinals, the 49ers had the offense take the day off and relied on their defense the entire game. What followed was 15 points, and a 13-point cushion was squandered away.

What I’m getting at is the defense this year had less room for error than last year, and managed to keep the Cardinals in check most of the game. Yes, there were dropped passes, and yes, there were Cardinals mistakes that benefitted the 49ers in the realm of “luck”. The defense still clamped down on each drive, except for a bonehead pass interference penalty in the end zone.

The offense managed to wake up at the right time and get the walk-off field goal, but they were largely absent this game. Which means, unlike 2024, the 49ers can rely on the defense without the fans ruining their teeth chewing on their nails. The Cardinals managed to convert fourth downs, but it wasn’t a game-winning, fourth-and-five floater where the defense just watched the ball sail in the sky.

Last year, I labeled the 49ers as a “frustrating disappointment”, and the limited sample size indicates that we aren’t even near that territory. Even if the 49ers lost today to the Cardinals, you saw enough on the field to know this wouldn’t have been nearly as infuriating as the loss last year. The 49ers are not healthy, yet they are giving teams a run for their money. Those of you around here might have heard the phrase, it’s not when the 49ers lose, but how. And the 49ers would have lost today by so many holes on offense. Frustrating? Yes.Disappointing? Not nearly as bad as last year. You didn’t see the defense unmotivated or without a clue of what to do when Kyler Murray took off; you didn’t see special teams blunders; you saw an injured team clawing out a win.

So now that we’re three games in, do the 49ers have an identity besides being a team that grinds out wins?

“We know we’re not a finished product,” 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said in the 49ers’ postgame press conference. “But we’re going to continue to grow, and right now we’re doing that at 3-0 and 2-0 in our division, which is a good place to be.

It’s hard to say the product is finished after Week 3, considering the numerous injuries. The 49ers are not healthy. Compared to last year, they don’t have their starting quarterback, pass catchers, and who knows what else. They have running back Christian McCaffrey, but there were some dropped passes today that are uncharacteristic of him.

The 49ers’ reliance on backups on offense is a testament to how this team is grinding out wins and has reached 3-0. Three games that the 2024 team would have no doubt lost this time last year. And there will be a game where maybe things swing the other way. The good news is the 49ers didn’t get these wins later in the season; they opened their season with three straight tough-fought victories, which not only helps for the postseason positioning but also gives confidence to the first and second-year players. The injuries have given them a chance to see what they have with the younger talent. Without the unfortunate injury to tight end George Kittle, it’s doubtful anyone would have heard of Jake Tonges.

So what are the 2025 49ers? Frustrating. They are definitely frustrating. A frustrating work in progress. The injuries, occasional miscues on offense and defense, and inability to put opponents away (though understandable with possible talent gaps) make this a very frustrating team. Still, you know the product on the field are well-coached players that may get outplayed—and on defense, that’s a huge step up, win or lose.

Besides, anyone who is a 49ers fan will tell you, 49ers football can be torture sometimes.

A frustrating work in progress, sure, but don’t say disappointing—they are anything but that. They have two drafts in a row, each containing several pieces that can help get this team back to where it was. As frustrating as they’ve been, it’s not likely we would have gotten an extended look at some of these guys had the team been stacked the way it was.

Three games in, the 49ers have already reached half of their win total in 2024, overcoming ridiculous adversity along the way. It isn’t pretty, it’s oftentimes not fun, but it’s a hell of a lot better than last year, and progress is really all you should ask for from this team.

Frustrating progress, but it’s still progress.

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