Kyle Shanahan Needs to Shake off Blowing 28-3 Lead in Super Bowl so 49ers Can Take the Next Step
By Jerry Trotta
The San Francisco 49ers' first blemish of 2019 came with their loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
While San Fran still sits atop the NFC with an 8-1 record, they haven't really impressed when faced with adversity in 2019, and it starts with the fact that their only comeback win came against a decimated Pittsburgh Steelers team with Mason Rudolph under center.
The 49ers had a chance to send a message to the rest of the NFL with a convincing win over Seattle on MNF. Instead, they squandered a significant lead-- which confirms that Kyle Shanahan still needs to shrug off the remaining sting of the 28-3 lead he blew in the Super Bowl against the Patriots while he was offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons.
SEAHAWKS TAKE DOWN THE 49ERS ?
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 12, 2019
Last-second field goal in OT gives Seattle the 27-24 win. San Francisco suffers their first loss, falling to 8-1. pic.twitter.com/9ZawZCSFOK
Shanahan's Niners have been nothing short of terrific in 2019, but it's apparent that he doesn't coach with the same swagger when his team is playing from behind. By the time playoff time rolls around, that absolutely must change.
The Seahawks game-planned to stop the run -- Shanahan's forte -- and force Jimmy Garropolo to beat them. Folks, Jimmy G dropped back to pass 46 times, while San Fran's league-best rushing attack was held to just 86 yards on 3.4 yards per tote.
Call us crazy, but Shanahan's failure to adjust might have handed teams around the league a formula to beat his 49ers on a silver platter. Further, he snatched defeat from the jaws of (moral) victory by failing to even consider playing for a tie on the final possession of overtime.
Kyle Shanahan snatched defeat from the jaws of a tie game. He should’ve been playing for 8-0-1 on that final possession given the circumstances. Gotta run the ball there and get the clock ticking before you start letting Jimmy spray it deep. #49ers
— Damon Bruce (@DamonBruce) November 12, 2019
You might call the notion of playing for a tie cowardly, but this team was undefeated and could have stayed that way. Such a calculated move simply ended up being in the best interest of his team last night in rertrospect, and Shanahan failed to realize it by letting Garoppolo drop back and chuck it.
We aren't doubting Shanahan's potential. That's evident given his 8-1 record. But his tendency to falter under pressure cannot be understated, and it can be traced back to Atlanta's humiliating loss in Super Bowl LI.