Kyle Shanahan’s coaching mistake casts shadow over 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes as Mark Schlereth questions late-game handling

In the final seconds of Super Bowl LVIII, as The Kansas City Chiefs As they celebrated their victory, Kyle Shanahan stood on the sidelines, a look of disbelief etched on his face. The San Francisco 49ers The head coach had just watched his team lose another championship opportunity, literally. It was a moment that seemed to encapsulate Shanahan’s entire Super Bowl experience – so close, yet so achingly far.

Mark Schlereth, a three-time Super Bowl champion and host of the podcast “The Stinkin Truth,” didn’t mince words when dissecting Shanahan’s performance in that particular game. “There are a lot of questions about how to get the ball first” Schlereth said, referring to the 49ers’ overtime decision. “I thought it was a mistake, a coaching mistake.”

In Shanahan’s book of Super Bowl disappointments, it’s the latest misstep. It’s a story that has become an all-too-familiar refrain for 49ers fans who have had to watch their team lose another big game twice in five years. As Schlereth asked, “Can they close the deal? There are questions about Kyle Shanahan’s late-game management from his years in Atlanta.”

Shanahan continues to be haunted by the ghosts of the Super Bowl. In the memorable Super Bowl LI, his Atlanta Falcons gave up a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots. His 49ers, a few years later, were defeated by the Chiefs as Jimmy Garoppolo and company failed to turn the tide in their favor. Patrick Mahomes turned the tide in the next 6 minutes and 13 seconds with 21 crucial points, allowing the team to record a 31-20 victory. Unfortunately, it happened again in 2024.

NFL research highlights a troubling trend: Shanahan is now the fifth coach in NFL history to lose his first three Super Bowl appearances as a head coach or coordinator. Even more troubling? None of the previous four coaches ever hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. It’s a statistic that hangs over Shanahan like a dark cloud, threatening to define his otherwise impressive coaching career.

Analyzing Kyle Shanahan’s Heartbreaking Super Bowl Loss

Shanahan’s Super Bowl performance isn’t impressive by the numbers. In his two appearances as a head coach on football’s biggest stage, Shanahan was outscored by a combined 46-0 margin in the fourth quarter and overtime. It’s statistics like that that turn the “geniuses” who call coaches into Monday morning quarterbacks.

Shanahan’s vaunted offense sputtered in the most crucial moments against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. Those offensive miscues led to six first downs on seven drives, while being forced to punt four times, with two instances of possession loss and fourth-down failure. It’s a stark contrast to previous displays of dominance throughout the year that had people asking, “Where’s the beef?”

This year’s loss is even more painful. The 49ers had a 10-point lead in the third quarter, but they watched that lead slip away like sand in an hourglass. Schlereth focused on one critical moment: “How you break a protection and don’t block 95 (Chris Jones) and you end up having to throw an incomplete pass and kick a field goal and give the ball to Mahomes… you know every snap you’re in four-down territory.”

Despite the setbacks, Shanahan’s players are sticking with him. All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner praised his coach’s adaptability earlier this year to AP News: “Every year, every season starts, there’s always something new that we have to work on to get better and achieve what we’re trying to do here. That’s something he’s done a great job of every year, continuing to improve as a coach and as a leader for us.”

As the 49ers look ahead to the 2024 season, the question remains: Can Kyle Shanahan finally shake off the ghosts of Super Bowls past and lead this talented team to elusive glory? Or will he join the likes of Marv Levy and Bud Grant, brilliant coaches who never quite made the leap? As they say in football, “Any given Sunday.”