The 2025 season has represented a trial by fire for rookie cornerback Upton Stout.

Amid struggles in coverage, the 49ers have stuck with the diminutive slot defender, who had sixth-most coverage snaps from the slot in the NFL going into Week 12 (223). Ahead of Sunday’s slate, Stout had allowed the most yards per coverage snap (1.72) among nickel defenders with at least 50 such snaps.

But there have been highs, most notably in the 49ers’ two wins over the Arizona Cardinals. Stout made a key pass breakup in Week 3 that secured a key stop to get the ball...

It’s time for your daily update regarding the San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk. This report comes from Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.

Here’s what Glazer shared about Aiyuk during Sunday’s FOX NFL broadcast:

“I think it’s up to Brandon Aiyuk. And look, these fines and guarantees were taken back because of him not doing what he’s supposed to do in his rehab all the way back in camp, and he’s continued to incure these fines. And I think the answer is, look, if Brandon Aiyuk tries to do what he needs to do to get back with the...

Two teams fighting for playoff spots meet on Monday Night Football as the 7-4 San Francisco 49ers host the 6-5 Carolina Panthers. Both teams have had success in the NFC, going a combined 11-4 in the conference. Both teams have also excelled in close games, with a combined record of 9-2. Unfortunately for the road team, the similarities end there.

The Panthers have a point differential of -42, while the 49ers are +9. Total schedule adjusted efficiency has the 49ers as the 12th-best team in the NFL, while the Panthers are 26th. All of this is with the Panthers playing...

For a game that seemed to be a questionable choice for Monday Night Football, given where both of these teams were entering the 2025 season, we should be in for a good one on Monday with the San Francisco 49ers hosting the upstart Carolina Panthers in a game that could be important for playoff positioning.

Both teams are coming off crucial divisional wins that have improved their playoff odds. San Francisco defeated the Cardinals in Week 11, keeping them in the playoff picture as the No. 7 seed, while the Panthers completed their sweep of the Falcons last week to...

Kawakami: 5 conclusions from the pending 49ers-Brandon Aiyuk breakup (paywall)
“Unless you’re very connected to your teammates and coaches, it’s easy for any injured player to lose some touch with the spirit and every-day mood of the team.

And Aiyuk’s not the most talkative player — probably one of the quietest players in the locker room. He’s an emotional guy and very popular figure; but rehabbing on a side field can be an isolating thing for a player who already had some disconnect to at least part of the 49ers’ perspective.“

[**Amid acrimony, Kyle Shanahan ‘holding out hope’ Brandon Aiyuk...

What a day for football. There weren’t many marquee matchups, but there were some thrilling games to watch. Now, we turn our attention to Sunday Night Football, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers go from one side of the country, where they gave up 44 points to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, to the other side.

Matthew Stafford won’t be too thrilled coming off a season-low 130-yard outing. Life should be much easier this week against a Bucs’ defense without its top cornerback, Jamel Dean. This same group gave up 317 yards to a depleted Bills’ corps. As we’ve seen...

The San Francisco 49ers are not short on drama. Ever. During the past 48 hours, we’ve read about Brandon Aiyuk having his guarantees voided and how Kyle Shanahan feels about the situation.

The timing of every news item is odd. Why now? Why are we just finding out about something that potentially caused a rift between both sides back in July, during late Thanksgiving?

If you watch Shanahan, it’s evident that he was passing the buck. It was a head coach who sounded like anything contractually related was out of his hands, which is why Shanahan kept using the term...

We are late enough into the season to start watching the scoreboard. Let’s get right into the Week 12 slate, with the San Francisco 49ers not playing until Monday, when they host the Carolina Panthers.

Steelers vs. Bears

This one is simple. We have an AFC team going against an NFC team. Pittsburgh won’t have Aaron Rodgers, but judging by how he’s played this year, that might not be the worst thing. Chicago’s defense has struggled against just about everybody not named J.J. McCarthy. And even the rookie had a game-winning drive.

The Bears’ second-half schedule is brutal. Caleb...

49ers vs. Panthers final injury report: 2 ruled out for Monday night
“There were no updates to the 49ers’ practice participation report on Saturday. The only active-roster players who did not practice were defensive end Robert Beal Jr., linebacker Tatum Bethune, and kicker Eddy Piñeiro, each sidelined by injuries.”

49ers vs. Panthers: The Standard’s 5 fast predictions (paywall)
“Kawakami: 49ers 30, Panthers 20. Is this the right moment for back-to-back 49ers victories for the first time since Weeks 2-3? Yup, that’s my call after their alternating W-L pattern over the last nine weeks. I hope this doesn’t also mean the...

Here is the final injury report for the San Francisco 49ers:

Out:

LB Tatum Bethune (high-ankle sprain)
K Eddy Pineiro (hamstring)

Doubtful:

Edge rusher Robert Beal (concussion)

Questionable:

LB Luke Gifford (hip/neck)

The first question Kyle Shanahan was asked was about the elephant in the room, Brandon Aiyuk. Shanahan answered without answering at first, saying, “Yeah, it’s week-to-week. Hoping he can clear all of the markers so he can come back and start his practice window.”

When asked if Aiyuk may have missed meetings or done something to upset the team, causing the 49ers to void Aiyuk’s 2026 guarantees, Shanahan...

The San Francisco 49ers have been seeing injuries pop up, while others have returned from injuries in their everlasting cycle during the 2025 season.

One player who missed a chunk of the season was left guard Ben Bartch, who won the starting job before suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.

Bartch proceeded to miss the next eight weeks, but returned in Week 10 during San Francisco’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Only that didn’t come as a starter. Instead, Bartch rotated in with Spencer Burford, who got the start at left guard.

San...

Of course, when I sit down to write this, the Brandon Aiyuk news breaks. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that, had there been another day, this would most likely have been a question. I’ll post some thoughts on the wide receiver situation in general, but here are my thoughts overall:

I see a lot of questions on the 49ers’ social media about who’s to blame. Honestly, it’s 50/50; the 49ers shouldn’t have handed Aiyuk such a massive contract at the very last minute, and Aiyuk shouldn’t have skipped training camp and failed to play...