SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he might appreciate one day how many assistants that used to work under him have become head coaches in the NFL.
That time sure isn't this week as the 49ers (2-0) prepare to face his former assistant Mike LaFleur for the first time since LaFleur got hired as head coach of the division rival Arizona Cardinals
(1-1) at home on Sunday.“Deep down probably, yeah, and eventually,” Shanahan
said about the pride he feels in seeing his former assistants succeed. "But, it’s more irritation, especially when you have to run into them twice a year.”
With LaFleur taking over the Cardinals this season, all three of San Francisco's NFC West rivals are running offenses derived from Shanahan's scheme. Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay worked as an offensive assistant in Washington when Shanahan was offensive coordinator and the Seattle Seahawks hired former Niners tight ends coach Brian Fleury to run their offense.
That provides the 49ers defense a familiar look, even if it is a challenging one.
“You talk about just all the movement, all the eye candy,” star linebacker Fred Warner. “You’re having to communicate a ton just to make sure everybody’s on the same page. But the beauty of it is obviously that we’ve gone against that for so long, all training camp. You’re seeing those looks and you’re seeing it from the best of the best, obviously, in our head coach and Brock Purdy.”
LaFleur worked under Shanahan for seven seasons, first when Shanahan was a coordinator in Cleveland and Atlanta and then for four years after he took over as head coach in San Francisco in 2017.
He faced him several times the last three seasons when he was offensive coordinator for the Rams but now gets to do it for the first time as a head coach.
“When you’re in the moment, you’re in the moment,” he said. "You’re not thinking about that stuff. I’m excited to see him before the game obviously and say what’s up, but then it’s on. That’s how they’re going to feel and that’s how we feel. I’m sure when all is said and done next February and we get to see each other in the offseason; we’ll talk about it. (Until then) this is the Niners versus the Cardinals.”
Arizona (1-1) vs San Francisco (2-0).
When/where to watch: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, Fox.
Latest odds: 49ers by 8 1/2.
Against the spread: Cardinals 1-1; 49ers 2-0.
Last week: Cardinals lost to the Seahawks 31-7; 49ers beat the Dolphins 35-13.
Last meeting: 49ers beat Cardinals 41-22 on Nov. 16, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona.
Series record: Cardinals lead 38-31.
Arizona pass defense vs. Brock Purdy. The Cardinals got beat for three TD passes last week by Seattle and now must contend with a San Francisco passing game clicking on all cylinders. Purdy completed 20 of 22 passes for 287 yards and two TDs last week and leads the NFL by completing 80.4% of his passes so far. The 49ers have had nearly as many scoring drives this season (10) as they have had incomplete passes (11).
— The Cardinals have lost seven straight games in the division since beating San Francisco in the 2024 season finale. That’s one shy of their longest division losing streak since joining the NFC West in 2002. Arizona has a 4-21 record against NFC West opponents since 2022.
— Arizona QB Jacoby Brissett has at least one TD pass in 14 consecutive games for the second-longest active streak to Jared Goff's 25.
— Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr. — the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2024 — has just one catch for 33 yards over his first two games.
— Arizona TE Trey McBride has had at least five catches in his last 11 road games for the longest streak ever for a tight end. McBride has caught 12 TDs in his last 14 games overall.
— The 49ers are seeking their 10th 3-0 start in the Super Bowl era. They made the playoffs the last eight times they did it, including four seasons when they went to the Super Bowl.
— San Francisco opened the season with back-to-back wins by at least 20 points for the first time in franchise history.
— The Niners are the only team not to allow a sack so far this season.
— San Francisco RB Christian McCaffrey had two TD runs last week to become the fourth-fastest player in the Super Bowl era with at least 100 touchdowns.
— Purdy is the second player in franchise history with at least three combined TDs passing and rushing in each of the first two games of a season. Steve Young also did it in 1998.
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AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Tempe, Arizona, contributed to this report.
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