The San Francisco 49ers pulled off one of the more impressive wins of the season, beating the Philadelphia Eagles on the road 23-19 despite continuing to deal with the injury bug that has hit them all year.
Playing without Ricky Pearsall and losing George Kittle to a torn Achilles early in the game, it seemed like the 49ers didn’t have much of a chance early with Philadelphia’s momentum. Nonetheless, they kept the game close and found a way to win to advance to the divisional round, where they’ll
face the Seattle Seahawks this Saturday.
One big factor for the 49ers was the coaching in the game. I revealed postgame my thoughts on Robert Saleh and his masterful performance, as he found a way to stop the run game in the second half and completely bottle up the offense. Then, of course, there’s Kyle Shanahan, who was on a roll with his play-calling offensively, finding a way to scheme open receivers against one of the best defensive coordinators in the league.
Shanahan has long been one of the NFL’s best head coaches, and this season has arguably been his most impressive, as he’s found a way to navigate through a number of injuries and pull out victories like Sunday’s on a consistent basis.
Each of the 49ers’ first four wins this year were one-score games that were close in the fourth quarter, including an impressive 26-23 overtime win on the road against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5, where San Francisco was a significant underdog.
Then, after a stretch of four wins and four losses, the 49ers rattled off six straight victories to keep themselves in the NFC West race, beating a number of teams despite having a troubling defense before ultimately falling short against the Seahawks in Week 18. Now, the 49ers have their chance for revenge.
After the game, several former players clamored for Kyle Shanahan to get a lifetime contract. Former 49ers player and two-time Super Bowl champion Logan Ryan shared that sentiment, as did ESPN’s Ryan Clark.
“Kyle Shanahan is one of the baddest coaches on the planet,” Ryan said on The Jim Rome Show. “Bad as in meaning good. He should have a lifetime deal with the 49ers. I knew from the moment I stepped in the first meeting of joining the team that Kyle Shanahan was one of the best coaches I have ever seen, and I got coached by Bill Belichick.
“[Shanahan] was up in that upper echelon of Xs and Os, strategy, understanding the roster, knowing exactly what he wants out of every single player, and he truly just coached circles around the games. Vic Fangio is a heck of a defensive coordinator, and that was a great battle. We obviously saw the Eagles offensive woes, but if you give Kyle Shanahan the Eagles roster, I can’t imagine how many points he would score with those weapons.”
When talking about the 49ers chances to win a Super Bowl, Clark was still pessimistic, but he also had a similar thought on Shanahan.
“I don’t believe they have enough [to win a Super Bowl], but I do believe Kyle Shanahan should be put on lifetime contract,” Clark said on First Take. “What Kyle Shanahan has done this season is absolutely phenomenal. To get this team to play at this level without Brock Purdy at times, without Ricky Pearsall, without Trent Williams, without Brandon Aiyuk the entire season. The way that Christian McCaffrey has put this team on his back and the utilization of him by Kyle Shanahan strategically and schematically, it is the greatest year I’ve ever seen a playcaller have.”
While I’m not sure we ever see a lifetime contract in the NFL with how much changes on a year-by-year basis (see the John Harbaugh situation), Shanahan has continued to do a stellar job with the 49ers, doing more with less.
