San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan remains focused on the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII. The 44-year-old coach has disregarded discussions about the implications of winning or losing on his coaching career in the NFL.
"We're not worried about it at all. It is what it is. We're here and we won't change anything," Shanahan said.
On Thursday, February 8, reporters asked Shanahan about the implications of losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday’s decisive game. They questioned whether it would reinforce the notion that he, head coach of the 49ers for Super Bowl LIV and two NFC championships, as well as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons’ Super Bowl LI run, cannot secure victory in the biggest game of all.
“I deal with it the same way if we win,” Shanahan said. “I celebrate with our team. I celebrate with my family and I move on with the rest of my life, which is being a father or son and coaching and working and doing all that.
According to Shanahan, whether the narrative is positive or negative, it is simply a narrative. The 49ers’ coach just wanted to avoid regrets and make decisions aligned with his beliefs that benefit the team.
“No matter how hard something is or good something is, you always keep perspective of what it really is,” he said. “If you want your perspective to be someone else’s narrative, good luck being happy in life. Or successful.”
Hunt for Super Bowl
Shanahan and the 49ers have been on the hunt for a Super Bowl win for nearly five years. Taking over a struggling team in 2017, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch faced a daunting task. At the time, the franchise had only won two games the previous season and had churned through four coaches in as many years.
Despite initial challenges, the team rebounded and reached the Super Bowl in their third year, only to lose a 10-point lead to the Chiefs in the 2019-20 season finale.
Over the past two seasons, the 49ers came close to the Super Bowl again, losing late leads in the NFC Championship Game and falling short against the Eagles due to quarterback injuries.
As they prepare to face the Chiefs this week, comparisons between Shanahan and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid have emerged. Reid, who led the Eagles to multiple NFC Championship appearances, finally secured his first Lombardi Trophy in his 21st season after defeating the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
One of the best
Shanahan is considered one of the league’s top coaches despite being in only his seventh season. His career started back in 2004 as the assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Long-time associates like linebackers coach Johnny Holland understand the significance of Shanahan potentially breaking through this Sunday. According to Holland, Shanahan is not unfamiliar with the pressure.
“Kyle is one of the best head coaches I’ve been around and one of the things that he’s missing that’ll probably help him be that Hall of Fame-type coach is a championship,” Holland said. “You’ve got to win it. And so, we definitely want to win it for us and him.”
Many within the organization echo Holland’s sentiment, praising Shanahan for fostering a culture that has led to the franchise’s most prolonged period of success since the early 1990s. Since 2019, only the Chiefs have amassed more wins by combining the regular season and postseason.