As the 49ers enter the NFL playoffs as favorites to win Super Bowl LVIII, the Vince Lombardi Trophy is the loss of coach Kyle Shanahan.
But NBC Sports Bay Area analyst Donte Whitner believes the stars are perfectly aligned for Shanahan to deliver his sixth championship to San Francisco, he shared on the latest edition of “Hitner’s Hot Take.”
“Head coach Kyle Shanahan has had a great coaching year this year…and I believe this is the year he brings Lombardi,” Wittner said Sunday after the 49ers’ regular-season finale loss to the Los Angeles Rams. .
San Francisco (12-5) clinched the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed in Week 17 and now gets a first-round bye in Super Wild Card weekend before hosting a decided opponent in a division-round contest at Levi’s Stadium. On January 20 or January 21.
If Shanahan and the 49ers make it to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and win the Super Bowl, the San Francisco coach and his father, Mike Shanahan, will become the NFL’s first father-son head coaching duo to each win a championship. Mike won Super Bowl titles as coach of the Denver Broncos in the 1997 and ’98 seasons, while Shanahan lost to the 49ers to end his 2019 campaign.
Whitner said he is hopeful Shanahan can make history with a Super Bowl win because of quarterback Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ treasure trove of offensive weapons.
“I say that because this is the first year that Kyle has run the offense the way he’s supposed to,” Whitner continued, citing the versatility of receivers Debo Samuels and Brandon Ayuck, Christian McCaffrey and the matchup issues created by the running back. Tight end George Kittle blocks, pass-screening double.
At the center of it all is Purdy, as the 49ers’ offense now serves as the team’s catalyst after years of defensive dominance.
“It’s up to Brock Purdy,” Whitner said. “This is the first time in Kyle Shanahan’s career as a head coach and offensive coordinator that he’s been happy with the football. Brooke Purdy not only throws the football on time, makes the right decisions and takes care of the football, but he’s the one. He has the gene to extend games.”
“And this is the first year that Kyle Shanahan has made the playoffs based on his offense … If Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense continue to explode, score touchdowns, take care of the football and the defense will pay attention. This will put Kyle Shanahan among the greatest head coaches in NFL history. I truly believe this is the year to prove it.
Shanahan has done enough to establish himself among San Francisco’s best coaches before his fourth playoff appearance in the 49ers’ past five seasons. A Super Bowl victory would add to that legacy, and Whitner believes it’s in the cards.
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