Kyle Shanahan has heard the criticism that, for all his accomplishments as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, he is unable to win the big games. Those calls grew louder after a second Super Bowl loss in five seasons, prompting Wednesday’s firing of defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, and Shanahan is as eager as anyone to quell them.
“The fact that we keep getting there shows how much we win big games,” Shanahan said on Tuesday as the Niners headed home for the offseason two days after their 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“These two Super Bowls have been tough, losing to Kansas City … You guys can have any narrative you want. The success or the failure comes down to one game,” he said. “I hope that I can be a part of a team that wins the game at the end of the year. But to say the Niners can’t win a big game would be an extremely inaccurate statement.”
They have been unable to win the ultimate prize despite coming close in recent years. San Francisco blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter to the Chiefs to lose the Super Bowl four years ago. The Niners then blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter of the 2021 NFC title game to lose to the Los Angeles Rams and lost again at that stage last season to Philadelphia when they played much of the game without a functioning quarterback.
Then came the latest Super Bowl, when they led Chiefs 10-0 early and then allowed Patrick Mahomes to lead two game-tying field goal drives in the fourth quarter and a game-winning touchdown drive in overtime.
There has been some criticism of Shanahan’s decision to take the ball in overtime, and some players admitted they did not know the new rules for OT in the playoffs. But Shanahan said he had plans for the new rules in place before the postseason started, and said his assistants had told players about those plans before the start of overtime on Sunday.
“We told everyone as we were waiting for the coin toss to review everyone to make sure they’re sure before we go out,” Shanahan said. “So, we asked position coaches to do that. But I didn’t cover it in a meeting on the Super Bowl week. I don’t think that changes anything.”
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said his position coach, Brian Griese, told him about the new rules before overtime on Sunday. “He explained the rules to me and everything so I had an understanding of it,” Purdy said. “I’m just disappointed because we had more than enough opportunities to go and take it,” All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said. “Super Bowls aren’t given. You’ve got to take them in the moments where they’re there and we didn’t. We had such a team to do it, we had such a great opportunity. We were playing the right way. What sucks is you have to go back to ground zero and start all over again.”
Purdy went from the final pick of the 2022 draft to franchise quarterback in his first full season as a starter after coming back from major elbow surgery. He helped give San Francisco one of the most powerful offenses in the game, with a deep group of playmakers led by Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel.
But after averaging 28.9 points a game as the most efficient offense in the league, the 49ers weren’t as sharp in the postseason and came up short in key spots in the Super Bowl. San Francisco had three straight three-and-out drives to start the second half and then settled for field goals at the end of regulation and in overtime following protection breakdowns on third-down plays.
“I still hurt for the guys that have been here, the older guys, the coaches, our fanbase and everybody,” Purdy said. “It sucks. We’re right there. Went to overtime and had an opportunity. It sucks but that’s the game that we play.”
The Chiefs scored on their final four drives on Sunday, raising questions about whether Wilks would take the fall for the loss. Indeed, Shanahan announced the decision on Wednesday to move on after one season with Wilks in charge of the defense.
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Shanahan called it a “really tough decision” but said he wants to find a coordinator who was a better scheme fit for the talent on San Francisco’s defense.
“We felt pretty strongly that this was the decision that was best for our organization,” he said. “Even though it was one I didn’t want to make, it was something that once I realized that a different direction was what’s best for our organization, it’s something that I have to do.”
Shanahan hired Wilks after losing DeMeco Ryans, who was hired as head coach in Houston after helping San Francisco field the top defense in the league in 2022.
Wilks took over the top-ranked defense in the NFL and had some shaky moments midway through the season and in the first two playoffs games as he tried to put his spin on the existing system. The defense held down Mahomes for the first 42 minutes before faltering late.
The Niners expect to bring back most of the core from this season but know that doesn’t mean they will be back at this stage again next season.
“We have all the pieces, but it never guarantees you the win,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “At the end of the day, it’s not basketball. It’s not a seven-game series. You can put yourself in the absolute best position and sometimes, you get beat. All you can do is continue to try and put yourself in that best position, but you’re just never guaranteed anything.”
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