What Can We Learn From the 2025 49ers?
Only one team can win the Super Bowl this year, and it’s not the 49ers. But most of us don’t play in the Super Bowl and may be better able to identify with and learn more from the 49ers than the winner. (I’m gung ho for my Seahawks, by the way).
In the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs this year, two of my former teams faced off. Unfortunately, for all the 49ers fans out there, it wasn’t close at all, as the Seahawks steamrolled the proud franchise from San Francisco 41-6.
Despite suffering the Seahawk avalanche to end their season, the NFL universe commended the 49ers for a remarkable season. They stuck together and overachieved with a deeply depleted roster.
This season they lost Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and their #1 draft pick, Mykel Williams, to season-ending injuries. Starting quarterback Brock Purdy and top receiver Ricky Pearsall missed significant time. So did future Hall of Fame tight end George Kittle before he, too, tore his Achilles in the first round of the playoffs. Many other role players and back-ups missed time as well.
Despite all the blitzes and trials, the team finished 12-5 in the regular season and upset the Philadelphia Eagles (another former team of mine) in the first round of the playoffs. They’re not the champions, but they displayed a grit and resilience that marks and transcends football.
So, what can we learn from the 49ers?
The 49ers lived out the longtime football mantra “next man up.”
In fact, in the Wild Card round against the Eagles, the 49ers started two players who weren’t even on their roster a few weeks before. Eric Kendricks, a once-great player who had gone unsigned long into the season, and Garret Wallow, a virtually unknown player who had been signed off the Broncos’ practice squad. Both came up with key plays in the game, with Kenricks tipping away Jalen Hurts last-ditch throw on 4th and 11 to close out the game.
Perhaps the most important “Next Man Up” contribution came from Mac Jones. The former 1st-round draft pick for the New England Patriots had been bounced from two rosters before landing as the 49ers’ backup. When his name was called, he stood strong and led the team to a 5-3 record, keeping them afloat for the late playoff push.
What’s cool is that many of these players had been written off. Disappointing, not good enough, too old, broken by former circumstances. But not to the 49ers. Their coaches and teammates believed in them to get the job done, and they did.
It reminds me of the way Jesus uplifts us when we’re at our lowest. We think we’re disqualified, not good enough or too broken by our past to do anything special.
Think about an angry man named Saul—a persecutor of Christians. To many, he was disqualified. Too much baggage. But Jesus saw something entirely different. He wasn’t just forgiven; he was entrusted to become Paul the Apostle, a tireless advocate, carrying the Gospel farther than anyone else of his time, writing most of the New Testament.
What can you do? Stay ready. It’s not just a mindset. The 49ers’ backups vigilantly practiced and prepared so that when they were thrust into the starting line-up, they were ready to perform.
Receive your true identity as a son of God daily, so you can hear when Jesus calls your name to contribute to His kingdom gameplan.
And here’s a second thing we can learn from the Niners this season.
With great coaching, we can all accomplish more than we ever thought possible.
Great coaching creates belief, clarity, and confidence. The 49ers had all three. With their own expertise and long nights of game-planning, Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh put their players in positions to succeed. They trusted their stars and backups alike.
They must have coached them not only as players, but as men who built a culture and kept the locker room together through all the adversity.
Jesus is more than a coach of course, but He’s the ultimate coach. He doesn’t just give us an assignment and hope we figure it out. He achieves righteousness and our mission for us when we abide in and receive from Him. He teaches, encourages, corrects and walks with us through failure and growth. He knows our strengths, our limits, and our fears, and still calls us onto the field. Under His guidance, ordinary people do extraordinary things, not because they’re suddenly perfect, but because He’s leading them.
The 2025 49ers remind us that success isn’t reserved for the healthiest, the flashiest, or the most celebrated. It’s for those who stay ready, trust the process, and submit to great leadership.
You may feel overlooked, underqualified, or stuck on the bench. But seasons change quickly. When your moments comes, preparation plus belief in Christ changes everything.
You might not end up with a championship ring. The 49ers didn’t. But you can live knowing you gave all that God provided you, grew through adversity, and played your role well. In the Kingdom of God, when we persevere and bless others, God has rewards that beat trophies.
Need coaching? We all do. Find your personal friends and mentors for coaching and sign up for my CORE 3 COACHING to help along the way.
