​The 2025 season offered the San Francisco 49ers everything you could ask for: thrilling wins, stubborn injuries, and a playoff victory to cap things off. With cornerstone players such as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and George Kittle sidelined at various points, the road to victory was tougher than expected, yet the 49ers still finished with 13 wins. It’s fair to say there were more than a few surprises in 2025.
A look back at last season’s statistics reveals three particularly surprising numbers for the 49ers. First, Mac Jones and Brock Purdy finished second and third in adjusted completion percentage, a metric that excludes drops, throwaways, spikes, and plays in which the quarterback was hit as he threw. Pro Football Focus tracks a range of advanced metrics, and in 2025 the 49ers’ quarterbacks ranked near the top in multiple categories. Jones logged an adjusted completion percentage of 79.6%, with Purdy at 78.7%.
The PFF QB Annual lists both San Francisco passers among the top five in several categories. Jones earned a second-place finish in perfectly accurate percentage, which measures the share of attempts graded as perfectly accurate, at 22.9%. The 49ers’ passing game operated with efficiency and precision when Jones was throwing, yet Purdy’s mobility made a notable difference. Purdy led the league with a 9.0% pressure-to-sack rate, a metric that highlights how well a quarterback avoids sacks when under pressure.
Purdy also finished second to Lamar Jackson in yards per attempt in clutch moments, recording 8.70 yards per attempt in those high-leverage situations. PFF also pegged Purdy as the third-unluckiest quarterback in the NFL, rating him at -4.5 in net interception luck. In contrast, Jones posted the fifth-largest improvement in grade from 2024, with a 13.3-point jump.
Ricky Pearsall stood out among receivers for his contested catch rate, finishing with the best rate among players with at least 50 targets at 81.8%. There’s a debate about Pearsall: is he struggling to create separation, or does he excel in 50/50 balls? The evidence points toward his strengths at the catch point, and the injury-plagued 2025 season only adds to the optimism for what a full year could bring. Pearsall clearly has talent, and with a healthier slate of games ahead, his numbers could be substantial. It’s worth noting that Pearsall did most of his damage with Jones, and when you combine that with Jones’ accuracy numbers, the alignment makes sense.
But not everything went well for the 49ers in 2025. The defense finished last in the league in success rate allowed, a stark contrast to the team’s usual dominance. The pass rush was particularly lacking, posting a dismal 3.15% sack rate, ranking 32nd in the league. Myles Garrett—who had more sacks on his own than the 49ers accumulated as a team—highlighted just how far San Francisco fell on that side of the ball. The Jets, for example, didn’t record an interception all season, and the 49ers tied with Dallas for 30th in the league with an interception percentage of 0.95%. By season’s end, San Francisco allowed teams to convert at an unsightly rate, finishing with a 48.05% success rate on defense, placing them at the bottom of NFL rankings according to SumerSports.
All told, 2025 offered a mix of standout quarterback performance, rising play from a capable young receiver, and stubborn defensive shortcomings that kept the 49ers from maintaining their standard of dominance. If those injuries ease and the defense improves, 2026 could bring a much more balanced and competitive run, with Jones and Purdy continuing to push each other and Pearsall building on a strong contested-catch foundation.