Though San Francisco beat Los Angeles in the teams’ Week 1 matchup on Monday Night Football, the Niners have fallen in every game since — marking a franchise record 13 consecutive losses.
“These guys have been great, they come to work every day and understand that they control their effort, they control their attitude,” 49ers first-year head coach Chip Kelly said this week. “They’ve been a real good group. I think they’ve stuck together.”
While no team likes to use injuries as an excuse, they have certainly been a factor in the 49ers’ 1-13 season. The club lost middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman — who had recovered from a torn ACL and MCL in 2013 to lead the league with 154 tackles in 2015 — to a season-ending Achilles injury at the beginning of October.