San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead has watched several of his teammates get sidelined due to injuries. During Week 2, he watched as two of his fellow defensive linemen, Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas, were lost for the season with ACL injuries. The team could be without veteran pass rusher Dee Ford for a while.
The 49ers have a deep roster, though, and Armstead believes that depth will help the team overcome adversity. San Francisco has a next-man-up mentality. Losing players is difficult, but it doesn't mean opponents will go any easier on you.
"We have a really deep roster, a bunch of talent all over the field, so we really do take that next-man-up mentality whether it's one man or 11 men," Armstead told Liam McHugh of NBC Sports. "I think we have the guys to get the job done. And so no matter what goes on out there, we've got to find a way to win."
This isn't the first time injuries have devasted the 49ers roster. The same thing happened over the past two seasons. In 2018, the 49ers lost their starting quarterback and running back in Jimmy Garoppolo and Jerick McKinnon. That resulted in a four-win season.
The roster was devastated again by injuries throughout last season and still made it to the Super Bowl.
"[Head coach Kyle Shanahan's] message has been to keep playing," Armstead said. "It's a long season. We're just getting started. And the message was really, we had injuries last year, and we were still able to make a run. This year could be the same as long as we play to the standard we know we're capable of playing. I think we did a great job of doing that the past two weeks."
It has been eight months since the 49ers' defeat in Super Bowl LIV. The injuries haven't changed the team's goal for this season. Players and coaches still expect to fight their way back to the Super Bowl and win it this time.
"It was tough," Armstead said. "That was a game you dream of playing in, and not every game goes your way. Obviously, that game didn't go our way, but I'm excited about our opportunity this year. I think we have the roster to get the job done and get back to that level. I'm excited about the new journey to get there."
