The San Francisco 49ers seem to have more in common with a MASH unit than a football team these days. Their injury report reads like a Who’s Who of NFL stars, and it’s got fans wondering if the team’s Super Bowl dreams are at risk because of the same.

NFL Insider Tom Pelissero put his finger on the 49ers’ Achilles heel today – quite literally. “The only thing that’s really gotten the 49ers really throughout the entire Shanahan John Lynch era has been when they’ve been hurt,” Pelissero said. He hit the nail on the head harder than a Nick Bosa sack.

The 2020 season was a horror show for the 49ers. They set league records for most players and player games lost. Football Outsiders’ adjusted-games-lost (AGL) metric slapped them with a jaw-dropping 166.6 – a full 30 points above the next-worst team. It’s like they were playing injury bingo and somehow managed to fill the entire card.

Things got a tad better in 2021 and 2022, but “better” is a relative term here. The 49ers still ranked fourth-worst in 2021 with an AGL of 119.5 and ninth-worst in 2022 at 93.9. For perspective, the 2022 Super Bowl teams, the Eagles and Chiefs, had AGLs of 42.4 and 48.1 respectively, ranking third and fourth best. The 49ers were playing hurt while their rivals were planning strategies.

The injury curse continued its reign in 2023. George Kittle battled a high ankle sprain, Dre Greenlaw nursed a hamstring strain, and Javon Hargrave dealt with a shoulder dislocation. Jimmy Garoppolo fought through a rib injury, while Nick Bosa faced a minor ankle sprain. It’s like the 49ers roster faced a twisted turn of events each time.

Ricky Pearsall’s injury adds insult to… well, more injuries

Just when you thought the 49ers’ luck couldn’t get worse, rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall landed on the non-football injury list as training camp opened. Talk about bad timing – it’s like showing up to a potluck with an empty dish.

This setback comes hot on the heels of Brandon Aiyuk’s trade request amid stalled contract negotiations. The timing is uncanny, with Aiyuk’s demand coming on the same day as Pearsall’s injury news. Suddenly, the 49ers’ receiving corps is looking thin. While Pearsall’s absence might not seem like a game-changer, it’s another domino in a precarious lineup.

As head coach Kyle Shanahan put it in May about other injuries, “While OTAs are an important piece of the offseason, it’s more important to ensure players are healthy when the season starts.” But at this rate, the 49ers might need to bubble-wrap their players just to make it to kickoff.

The 49ers are walking a tightrope. On one side, they have a roster that looks unbeatable on paper, led by the surprising success story of Brock Purdy. The guy who emerged from relative obscurity to lead the team after injuries sidelined Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. He went from “Mr. Irrelevant” to starting quarterback faster than you can say “next man up.” On the other side, they’re one twisted ankle away from disaster.

Shanahan had admitted on multiple occasions last year, “I don’t have a magic answer for avoiding injuries.” The team even changed their training staff after Garoppolo’s ACL tear in 2018, showing they’re not sitting idle. But during the OTAs in May, more players joined the injury list. Jake Brendel is dealing with knee tendonitis, while Drake Jackson and Charvarius Ward are recovering from offseason surgeries.

Can the 49ers finally shake off this injury curse? Or will it be another season of “what ifs” for Purdy and company? One thing’s for sure – in the NFL, availability is the best ability. And right now, the 49ers’ best ability seems to be ending up on the injury report.