The San Francisco 49ers are playing their final game of this brutal 2024 season and it’s ending in largely the same way as it began: With a starting running back getting seriously injured.

In the first half of today’s Week 18 game against the Arizona Cardinals, 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo got taken down from behind on a tackle with the defender landing with his full weight on his leg. Guerendo’s knee and ankle bent in ways the human leg was not meant to bend and he was unable to get up on his own power.

Ultimately, Guerendo had to be carted off the field, ending his day with what is believed to be a combination of MCL and high-ankle injuries.

Few teams in the NFL have been as absolutely ravaged by injuries, especially on offense, as the San Francisco 49ers have this year. Each of their top three running backs on the depth chart finished the year on injured reserve along with numerous key players on the offensive line, defensive line, wide receiver and even starting quarterback Brock Purdy.

By the middle of the season, the San Francisco 49ers were 5-4 and still in a position to win a competitive NFC West division. But those injuries finally caught up to them and ultimately ended their playoff ambitions with three straight losses in December.