[OutsiderFan]

Good coaches don't use injuries as excuses, but fans aren't coaches. We don't have to pump back-ups with confidence and tell them they are expected to perform at the same level as starters. And we aren't naive enough to think injuries - especially at a certain scale - don't make a difference.

Every team in every sport misses players due to injuries, but the number the Niners have is outside the range of normal and no sane person could ever claim they don't significantly weaken the team's performance. 

No, injuries don't cause a fumble, but they do drastically shrink the margin of error. If all 22 starters are playing, one fumble is not devastating. If half of those 22 are not playing, a fumble can be the difference between winning and losing.

But I think we can see a pattern through all Niners losses.  The Offense is responsible for every one. Even with a Defense that was playing without 7 starters in the second half at Atlanta, it held the Falcons to less than 300 yards and just 21 points. The Niners offense scored just 14 points  and gave up 7.  

Losses in 2022:

Niners 10 Bears 19
Niners 10 Broncos 11
Niners 14 Falcons 28 (21 allowed by D)

Wins in 2022:

Niners 27 Seahawks 7
Niners 24 Rams 9
Niners 37 Panthers 15

Few NFL teams win games they don't score at last 20 points. Shanahan is suppose to be an offensive genius. Maybe he is, but his team is not nearly as well coached on Offense as it is on Defense because it makes way, way more mistakes on that side of the ball than it does on Defense, even in a game the Defense was missing 7 starters.

[OutsiderFan]

Good coaches don't use injuries as excuses, but fans aren't coaches. We don't have to pump back-ups with confidence and tell them they are expected to perform at the same level as starters. And we aren't naive enough to think injuries - especially at a certain scale - don't make a difference.

Every team in every sport misses players due to injuries, but the number the Niners have is outside the range of normal and no sane person could ever claim they don't significantly weaken the team's performance. 

No, injuries don't cause a fumble, but they do drastically shrink the margin of error. If all 22 starters are playing, one fumble is not devastating. If half of those 22 are not playing, a fumble can be the difference between winning and losing.

But I think we can see a pattern through all Niners losses.  The Offense is responsible for every one. Even with a Defense that was playing without 7 starters in the second half at Atlanta, it held the Falcons to less than 300 yards and just 21 points. The Niners offense scored just 14 points  and gave up 7.  

Losses in 2022:

Niners 10 Bears 19
Niners 10 Broncos 11
Niners 14 Falcons 28 (21 allowed by D)

Wins in 2022:

Niners 27 Seahawks 7
Niners 24 Rams 9
Niners 37 Panthers 15

Few NFL teams win games they don't score at last 20 points. Shanahan is suppose to be an offensive genius. Maybe he is, but his team is not nearly as well coached on Offense as it is on Defense because it makes way, way more mistakes on that side of the ball than it does on Defense, even in a game the Defense was missing 7 starters.