Kyle Shanahan's Real Opponent Sunday is 28-3 and Everybody Knows it

As forecasted, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was showered with questions this week about the Atlanta Falcons' impossible collapse in Super Bowl LI.

Shanahan, of course, was Atlanta's offensive coordinator, and his Falcons went on to fumble a 28-3 lead and lose to the New England Patriots in overtime, abandoning the run wholeheartedly in the process.

While the 40-year-old HC was brilliant at the podium, we all know that his real enemy on Sunday won't be Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs' frenetic offense. It'll be the ever-ominous recollections of the 28-3 chokejob once the 49ers are hit with adversity.

It's what we're all thinking, no? Even though Shanahan has made the necessary strides, which have led most analysts and pundits to believe that he's gotten over the proverbial hump, he's yet to redeem himself on football's biggest stage.

Thus far in the playoffs, Shanahan's brilliant blueprint has seen San Francisco able to control the dynamic with his dominant running game. That might be easier said than done against KC on Sunday. We know that Jimmy Garoppolo can sling it, but an over-committal to him in an effort to keep up with Mahomes could spell doom for the 49ers, and could bring about the exact same fate.

For the sake of San Francisco devotees, we hope that Shanahan eludes pulling a repeat of Super Bowl LI by second-guessing himself if Kansas City is able to score at will. That prospect will rightfully be on the minds of the millions of viewers on Sunday.