All was right with the world on Tuesday, the Niners had bounced back from the bizarre Week 9 loss to the St Louis Rams with a thrilling overtime success over the New Orleans Saints and Aldon Smith, who will hopefully be the saviour of San Francisco's struggling pass rush, returned to practice following his nine-week suspension.
Then we were hit with the news that the emotional leader of the 49ers, inside linebacker Patrick Wills, is to undergo surgery on a toe injury sustained in the Week 6 win over the Rams and will miss the rest of the season.
It initially felt like a gut-punch but, while the loss of Willis cannot be understated, there is no reason for San Francisco supporters to panic over the immediate future of a defense that ranks second in the NFL despite playing shorthanded throughout the season.
Stand-ins Michael Wilhoite and Chris Borland have performed admirably in the absence of Willis and NaVorro Bowman, whose return to practice from that gruesome knee injury in the NFC title game loss in Seattle appears to be edging closer.
Borland in particular has been superb, amassing 35 tackles in the last two games and recovering the Drew Brees fumble in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal from Phil Dawson, making a case for playing ahead of Wilhoite when Bowman makes his comeback.
Whether Borland could potentially displace Willis, who will be 30 when he returns to action, is a debate for another time but, with he and Wilhoite playing above expectations, perhaps the bigger news on the defensive side of the ball is that nose tackle Ian Williams has a small fracture in his left leg and will be out for a few weeks.
Williams will not need surgery but his absence, with Glenn Dorsey yet to be activated following his return to practice, places pressure on second-year lineman Quinton Dial to perform.
Tramaine Brock is also expected to miss Sunday's visit to the New York Giants due to a hamstring problem yet, despite all the injuries, the defense is the unit I find trusting the most to deliver.
Instead the worry surrounds an offense that continues to struggle to put points on the board in the second half, an issue that no game-saving 51-yard bomb - no matter how impressive - can hide.
The re-emphasis on the running game displayed in New Orleans is a plus yet the fact remains that this group has failed to perform for a full four quarters throughout the season.
Luckily the Giants rank last in overall defense and have been pitiful against the run. You can never afford to be complacent in the NFL, but this looks to be the perfect matchup for the Niners to regain their confidence and consistency.
Whether Borland could potentially displace Willis, who will be 30 when he returns to action, is a debate for another time but, with he and Wilhoite playing above expectations, perhaps the bigger news on the defensive side of the ball is that nose tackle Ian Williams has a small fracture in his left leg and will be out for a few weeks.
Williams will not need surgery but his absence, with Glenn Dorsey yet to be activated following his return to practice, places pressure on second-year lineman Quinton Dial to perform.
Tramaine Brock is also expected to miss Sunday's visit to the New York Giants due to a hamstring problem yet, despite all the injuries, the defense is the unit I find trusting the most to deliver.
Instead the worry surrounds an offense that continues to struggle to put points on the board in the second half, an issue that no game-saving 51-yard bomb - no matter how impressive - can hide.
The re-emphasis on the running game displayed in New Orleans is a plus yet the fact remains that this group has failed to perform for a full four quarters throughout the season.
Luckily the Giants rank last in overall defense and have been pitiful against the run. You can never afford to be complacent in the NFL, but this looks to be the perfect matchup for the Niners to regain their confidence and consistency.
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