Amid a slew of injuries, the 49ers have compiled a 6-3 record through the first nine games in large part because of the impressive play of Mac Jones, the history-making brilliance of Christian McCaffrey, Kyle Shanahan’s schematic genius, and sporadic strong performances from a defense devastated by setbacks.

But there’s one area of the team in which head coach Shanahan is especially proud this season, having shown marked improvement from the 2024 campaign.

It was difficult for the 49ers’ special teams unit to get much worse after finishing last in special teams EPA (-47.67) last season. That performance was almost 24 points worse than the 31st team, the Atlanta Falcons (h/t Nick Wagoner of ESPN).

But the appointment of Brant Boyer as special teams coordinator, and the changes at kicker

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