SANTA CLARA — “Next man up” is the kind of football phrase that gets tossed around locker rooms like used spat tape.

And it’s usually a desperate Hail Mary — a coping mechanism for a team that’s already on life support — limping to a six-win season like the one the Niners did last year.

We’ve heard “next man up” quite often in Santa Clara over the years. And we’re hearing it a lot this season, too.

But this year, something’s different. That rhetoric doesn’t feel performative or perfunctory or empty.

The 49ers’ MRI machine might as well have a waiting room outside it this season. The starting quarterback’s out. The No. 1 and No. 2 receivers are on the shelf (don’t forget about Brandon Aiyuk, folks). The star tight end is on injured reserve. Then, just to twist the knife, all-world defen

See Full Page