Kyle Shanahan's remarks about the 49ers' Week 1 performance put the NFL on notice
The 49ers have received widespread and effusive praise following their 30-7 blowout win over the Steelers in Week 1. Analysts around the NFL have labeled the 49ers the best team in football after they dominated all three phases against Pittsburgh. But in an ominous statement to the rest of the league, head coach Kyle Shanahan […]
The 49ers have received widespread and effusive praise following their 30-7 blowout win over the Steelers in Week 1.
Analysts around the NFL have labeled the 49ers the best team in football after they dominated all three phases against Pittsburgh.
But in an ominous statement to the rest of the league, head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated plenty more is to come from his team.
Asked in his Wednesday press conference if he has to bring his team back down to earth after such a performance, Shanahan said:
“I mean, usually it’s off the tape and the tape to me wasn’t totally what everyone thinks. It wasn’t our best performance. There’s a lot of things in there that could have gone a different way. A bunch. The way we ended at the second quarter not scoring on offense, not running the clock out before we gave it back to them. Giving up an 80-yard drive before half, giving up a 40-yarder on the third-and-one, possible touchdown on the third play of the game, fortunately, they missed it. They tried to come back to it like four times, but they got the wrong coverages then. There’s lots of stuff that goes into it, but sometimes games just get away and it got away real fast because we broke a 60-yarder on play two in the third quarter, and after that it was pretty easy.”
Shanahan's response is indicative of the extremely high standards he sets and that are required in championship teams. He also knows it is dangerous for teams to buy into their own hype too much after one game and level heads are required across the marathon that is an NFL season.
He is also correct that the 49ers' display was far from perfect. Their kickoff coverage was lax, they gave up a 95-yard drive at the end of the second quarter and there were several missed opportunities on offense that could have led the margin of victory to be even more emphatic.
While Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey both played starring roles, the likes of Deebo Samuel and George Kittle were kept reasonably quiet, at least by their high standards.
And, though the defensive line was utterly dominant, it enjoyed that superiority with Nick Bosa playing just over half of the defensive snaps.
Bosa still managed to record four pressures, per Pro Football Focus, but it's clear this star-studded roster has higher levels it can reach, and that is a scary thought for the rest of the NFL.
Christian McCaffrey joins Brandon Aiyuk in winning Week 1 award
Potentially the first of many this season.
Featured Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
