CURSE OF
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AN INDEPENDENT 49ERS FAN ARCHIVE

CURSE OFSANTA CLARA

Did anybody pack the fourth quarter? A field guide to everything that’s gone sideways since the 49ers left Candlestick Park.

Open the case files Browse player injuries
Vintage-style illustration of a thundercloud and lightning above an empty Santa Clara football stadium.EXHIBIT A
Santa Clara, CaliforniaField illustration
SINCE THE MOVE 2014✦FORMER HOME CANDLESTICK PARK✦CURRENT HOME SANTA CLARA, CA✦CASE STATUS OPEN

THE CASE FILES

THE CURSE ARCHIVE

SINCE CANDLESTICK

The injury list

Selected 49ers injuries from every season since the move in 2014. Playoff games appear under their NFL season. Updated November 13, 2026. Why so many injuries?

Selected San Francisco 49ers player injuries by NFL season, newest first
Season & gamePlayerInjury & impactReporting
2026Week 9 · Las VegasGracen HaltonDefensive lineFractured and dislocated ankle

The 49ers placed Halton on injured reserve on November 10 after he had started six games.

49ers 49ers follow-up
2026Week 6 · WashingtonMike EvansWide receiverAchilles tendinitis

Evans left the Washington game before halftime. By November 11, the receiver had missed two games.

Reuters SF Chronicle
2026Week 2 · MiamiDemarcus RobinsonWide receiverHigh ankle sprain

Robinson missed five games. San Francisco activated him from injured reserve ahead of the Raiders game.

NBC Sports
2025Wild Card · PhiladelphiaGeorge KittleTight endTorn Achilles

Kittle’s first catch of the game was his last of the postseason. He left in the second quarter of the win in Philadelphia.

NFL
2025Week 9 · N.Y. GiantsMykel WilliamsDefensive lineTorn ACL and meniscus injury

The first-round pick’s rookie season ended in the win over the Giants.

49ers
2025Week 6 · Tampa BayFred WarnerLinebackerFractured and dislocated ankle

The 49ers lost their defensive captain for the rest of the regular season.

49ers
2025Week 3 · ArizonaNick BosaDefensive endTorn right ACL

Bosa left in the first quarter against Arizona. The injury ended his season.

49ers
2024Week 13 · BuffaloChristian McCaffreyRunning backKnee ligament injury (PCL)

Four games into his return from Achilles trouble, McCaffrey hurt his knee in Buffalo and missed the rest of the season.

49ers 49ers follow-up
2024Week 13 · BuffaloJordan MasonRunning backHigh ankle sprain

Mason had filled in for McCaffrey earlier in the year. The Buffalo game sent both backs to injured reserve.

49ers
2024Week 7 · Kansas CityBrandon AiyukWide receiverTorn ACL and MCL

Aiyuk hurt his knee on a catch just before halftime. He missed the remainder of the season.

49ers
2023Super Bowl LVIII · Kansas CityDre GreenlawLinebackerTorn Achilles

Greenlaw went down running onto the field after a punt. He missed the rest of the Super Bowl, including overtime.

NFL
2023Week 11 · Tampa BayTalanoa HufangaSafetyTorn ACL

The starting safety missed the rest of the season, including the 49ers’ run to the Super Bowl.

49ers
2022NFC Championship · PhiladelphiaBrock PurdyQuarterbackTorn elbow ligament (UCL)

Hurt on the opening drive, Purdy returned after Johnson went down but could barely throw. His right elbow needed surgery.

49ers 49ers follow-up
2022NFC Championship · PhiladelphiaJosh JohnsonQuarterbackConcussion

Johnson replaced Purdy and left in the third quarter, forcing the injured starter back into the game.

49ers 49ers follow-up
2022Week 13 · MiamiJimmy GaroppoloQuarterbackFractured foot

Garoppolo left against Miami. Rookie Brock Purdy took over the offense.

49ers
2022Week 2 · SeattleTrey LanceQuarterbackFractured right ankle

A broken fibula and ligament damage required surgery. Jimmy Garoppolo took over in the home opener.

49ers NFL
2021Week 1 · DetroitRaheem MostertRunning backKnee cartilage injury

Mostert’s season lasted two carries. He opted for surgery after the opener.

NFL
2021Week 1 · DetroitJason VerrettCornerbackTorn ACL

The starting cornerback lost the rest of his season in the opening win over Detroit.

49ers
2020Week 2 · N.Y. JetsNick BosaDefensive endTorn ACL

His second NFL season ended in the first quarter against the Jets.

49ers
2020Week 2 · N.Y. JetsSolomon ThomasDefensive lineTorn ACL

Thomas went down in the same quarter as Bosa. Both defensive linemen missed the rest of the season.

49ers
2019Week 14 · New OrleansWeston RichburgCenterTorn patellar tendon

The 49ers won in New Orleans but lost their starting center for the rest of the season.

49ers
2019Week 9 · ArizonaKwon AlexanderLinebackerTorn pectoral muscle

Alexander went on injured reserve after the Arizona game and missed the rest of the regular season.

49ers
2018Week 3 · Kansas CityJimmy GaroppoloQuarterbackTorn left ACL

A fourth-quarter scramble ended Garoppolo’s season three games into his first full year as the starter.

NFL
2018Preseason · PracticeJerick McKinnonRunning backTorn ACL

The new signing hurt his knee in practice before the opener and missed his first season with San Francisco.

NFL
2017Week 8 · PhiladelphiaPierre GarçonWide receiverNeck fracture (C5)

Garçon went on injured reserve while leading San Francisco with 40 catches for 500 yards.

49ers NFL
2016Week 4 · DallasNaVorro BowmanLinebackerTorn left Achilles

San Francisco lost its middle linebacker for the remaining twelve games.

NFL 49ers
2015Last appearance · Week 7 · SeattleCarlos HydeRunning backFoot stress fracture

After the Seattle game, Hyde never returned to the lineup that season. He finished the year on injured reserve.

NFL
2014Week 7 · DenverDaniel KilgoreCenterBroken leg

Seven games into his first season as the starting center, Kilgore broke his leg. His recovery stretched into 2015.

49ers
2014Week 6 · St. LouisPatrick WillisLinebackerLeft big toe injury

Willis aggravated a long-running injury against the Rams. Surgery ended his season.

49ers

Why so many injuries?

The injury pileup shows up in the numbers. FTN ranked San Francisco worst in the league in 2024 and fifth-worst in 2025 by adjusted games lost. The measure weighs missed time and limited availability for starters and key reserves. It tells us how hard injuries hit a team. Explaining why takes a closer look at the players, the plays and the places they happened.

FTN · injury rankings and method

How the substation became a suspect

Former 49ers lineman Jon Feliciano recalled a locker-room joke about practicing beside Silicon Valley Power’s Northern Receiving Station. Fans wondered whether its electromagnetic fields could explain the team’s soft-tissue injuries. The team had already been practicing in Santa Clara since 1988. The station expanded in 2014, the year home games moved there.

In January 2026, the NFL’s chief medical officer said he knew of no evidence for the proposed link. In March, general manager John Lynch said a scientist hired by the 49ers measured the areas players use and found field levels typical of a workplace or gym. Those measurements tell us about exposure at the facility. The published evidence gives no reason to attribute a player’s injury to the substation.

Washington Post · how the theory spread SF Chronicle · facility history CBS Sports · NFL medical response ESPN via ABC7 · Lynch on the testing

Cleats stuck at the Meadowlands

Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas tore their ACLs against the Jets in New Jersey in 2020. Players questioned the footing. Inspectors checked the field again and found it met NFL standards. A study across all 32 teams found 16% more lower-extremity injuries per play on synthetic turf than on grass during the 2012–16 regular seasons. That makes playing surface worth investigating while leaving the cause of those two tears open. Back in Santa Clara, the 49ers documented replacing a synthetic section of their practice grounds with grass in 2025.

NFL · MetLife field inspection American Journal of Sports Medicine · surface study 49ers · practice-field renovation

Two hard practices, then a jog-through

In August 2026, Kyle Shanahan explained why camp looked different. The old schedule called for three straight full-speed days. The new one put a jog-through after the second day, before the hardest session. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk pointed out that players rarely go full speed three days running during the season. The schedule change is documented. Its effect on the injury rate is still an open question.

49ers · Shanahan’s August 8 press conference SF Chronicle · players on the lighter day

Some of the risk arrived with the roster

After the 2020 season, Shanahan acknowledged taking chances on players with significant injury histories. Dee Ford had undergone two back surgeries before the trade and missed 15 games with a back injury in 2020. The same bet worked out differently for Jason Verrett. After years of injuries, he started 13 games that season.

SF Chronicle · Shanahan on medical risk

A C-minus for the training room

Players gave both the training room and training staff C-minus grades in the union’s report card. In March 2026, Lynch announced $9 million in rehab and recovery upgrades and plans to add three physical therapists. He said players wanted more individual attention. The survey documents what players experienced when seeking care. It doesn’t establish how they got hurt.

ESPN via ABC7 · player survey and rehab plans

Two linebackers, two very different plays

Fred Warner broke and dislocated his ankle in Tampa in 2025 when a teammate caught his leg while pursuing a runner. Dre Greenlaw tore his Achilles in Super Bowl LVIII as he pushed off to enter the game from the sideline. Both belong in the franchise’s injury archive. Only one involved contact with another player.

NFL · the Warner play NFL · the Greenlaw play

THE BROADCAST CUTAWAY

Meanwhile, in San Francisco…

The broadcast comes back from commercial over the Golden Gate Bridge. Kickoff is still in Santa Clara.

Editorial illustration of the Golden Gate Bridge across the foggy strait.
Golden Gate Bridge Midspan
40.1 mi

From Levi’s Stadium to the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge, as the crow flies.

Going by car? One route from the stadium to the bridge’s south toll plaza is about 47 miles. Route

On cameraFrom Levi’s · air miles

  • Golden Gate Bridge

    Midspan

    National home-game broadcasts have used blimp shots of the bridge. SF Chronicle

    40.1 mi

  • Alcatraz Island

    Island landmark

    Super Bowl 50 studio shot. ESPN put Alcatraz behind its SportsCenter set for the week. ESPN

    38.4 mi

  • Hyde Street cable cars

    Hyde & Beach turnaround

    SFGATE names Hyde Street cable cars among the city scenes available for a 49ers timeout. SFGATE

    37.3 mi

  • Lombard Street

    The crooked block

    The Chronicle recalls seeing the famous switchbacks during televised 49ers games. SF Chronicle

    36.9 mi

  • Coit Tower

    Telegraph Hill

    Another SFGATE pick for timeout footage, especially at sunset. SFGATE

    36.5 mi

  • Bay Bridge

    Western span, pier W-4

    During Giants–49ers in September 2023, the camera panned to the bridge. Even Al Michaels joked about the distance. SFist

    35.3 mi
How we measured the distances

Each figure is the great-circle distance from the stadium map pin (37.40326, −121.96969) to the named landmark, rounded to the nearest tenth of a mile. The camera can be somewhere else. Road mileage depends on the route.

Candlestick vs. Levi’s Stadium

The game-day receipt

At Candlestick, $29 got a season-ticket holder into the upper deck. At Levi’s, the cheapest seat on the 2026 season-ticket map averages $100 a game. That’s $71 more before you park the car.

What fans paid in 2011–13 and what the same outing costs in 2026. Prices are in dollars of the year shown, without an inflation adjustment.
ItemCandlestick 2011–13Levi’s era 2026
Upper-deck ticket$292013 · Lowest season-ticket price per game.SF Chronicle $100Lowest 400-level season-ticket average per game. A new seat license adds $2,000 once.49ers pricing map
Parking$302012 · One car, paid on game day.CBS Bay Area $60Estimated for one car. The lot and opponent can change the price.Bookies.com study
Hot dog$5.502013 · One standard hot dog.Sports Business Journal $9.31Estimated for one hot dog bought separately.Bookies.com study
Fountain soda$5.502013 · A 24 oz cup, about 23¢ per ounce.Sports Business Journal $6.58Estimated for 20 oz, about 33¢ per ounce.Bookies.com study
Beer$7.752011 · One 16 oz draft.Team Marketing Report $14.48Estimated for the same 16 oz serving.Bookies.com study
Adjustable cap$122011 · Cheapest adult adjustable cap in the stadium survey.Team Marketing Report $34.99Regular online price for a New Era 9FORTY trucker cap.49ers Shop
Nike Game jersey$1002012 · NFL-wide launch price for the Game replica.SB Nation $149.9949ers Shop listing for the men’s scarlet George Kittle Game jersey.49ers Shop

Prices checked November 13, 2026. Current merchandise examples use the official online team shop before tax, shipping or promotional discounts.

White shirt with Hella Not San Francisco printed in red across the chest.

Featured shirt

Hella Not
San Francisco

The broadcast shows the Golden Gate Bridge. Your ticket says Santa Clara.

Printed to order

Shown in white. Choose your color and size on Printify.

Shop the tee · $34.95 See the gear

THE BACKSTORY

ABOUT
THE CURSE.

The 49ers left Candlestick Park in 2014. Somewhere in San Francisco, there’s a moving box marked FOURTH QUARTER. We’d like it back.

Until somebody finds it, we’re keeping a record. Game recaps, police reports, and court coverage go in the same file cabinet. Blaming the change of address is a privilege we exercise as fans.

Back to the evidence