The San Francisco 49ers are off to a 2-0 start to the season, pulling off close victories over the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints on the road to kick off the year.
The narrative around the 49ers this offseason has changed quite a bit, from a team initially with Super Bowl aspirations to doubts after a quiet free agency to division favorites with an easy schedule, and on and on.
Ultimately, though, it all comes down to what happens on Sundays, and the 49ers have delivered in different ways to come away with consecutive wins.
San Francisco has already been dealt its fair share of adversity to kick off the year. Tight end George Kittle and quarterback Brock Purdy were injured in the season opener and are expected to miss multiple weeks. Defensively, the 49ers are already relying on a number of younger pieces to play significant snaps.
And yet, they’re 2-0, with Mac Jones helping lead the team to a 26-21 victory over the Saints this weekend.
Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has gotten significant praise over the first two weeks, and deservedly so. He’s managed to turn around a defense that was in the bottom half of the NFL, getting key stops when needed and forcing turnovers.
But, the coach at the forefront of it all is quietly having one of his best campaigns yet: head coach Kyle Shanahan.
In Year 9, Shanahan has been completely in his bag to start the year as a playcaller. That was always expected from him, but it’s been seen on film, even with a backup quarterback in the mix.
However, his biggest growth could be as a leader. Shanahan has long been a culture builder with the 49ers, earning the acknowledgement of being a players’ coach. But, sensing a change within the team this offseason, he hosted a veterans-only meeting to stress the importance of developing younger players ahead of the season.
That message clearly resonated with the team, as stars like Nick Bosa were around for the entire offseason, helping develop rookies Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins.
Then came the willingness and the understanding of playing those rookies early. Williams, Collins, third-rounder Upton Stout, fourth-rounder C.J. West, fifth-rounder Marques Sigle, and seventh-rounder Connor Colby have all seen early reps and could all emerge as starters or rotational pieces at some point this year.
And now, the 49ers are finding a way to be resilient and win the close games that evaded them and killed the team in 2024. In two straight games, they’ve closed out the game with strong defensive stands. They’ve also had a go-ahead touchdown drive to beat Seattle.
Of course, the 49ers would prefer to beat teams convincingly as they’ve done during their best years of the Shanahan era. But, in a year of development and growth like this season, the resiliency and finishing out close games is a major positive, and a testament to Shanahan’s offseason preparation.
The results at the end of the season are what matter at the end of the day. But, it’s been a strong start to the season for Shanahan in Year 9 as head coach.
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