Super Bowl 58: 49ers vs Chiefs

[CrimsonCrew]

Finally saw the 3rd and 5 at two minutes on the All-22 (though admittedly I didn't need the All-22 for the observation to follow). I still think they should have gotten into a run play there against a 2-2-7, but Aiyuk was open for a quick throw. Pretty weird footwork by Purdy, and then he throws toward Jennings inexplicably.

I believe Purdy has said that's their blitz-beater out of that look. Odd one, as it's a much harder throw than just hitting Aiyuk on the slant.

Lots not to like about the two crucial third down plays in crunch time of this game. Really frustrating, and ultimately, with this many breakdowns, it falls on the HC IMO.

[CharityStripe34]

Finally saw the 3rd and 5 at two minutes on the All-22 (though admittedly I didn't need the All-22 for the observation to follow). I still think they should have gotten into a run play there against a 2-2-7, but Aiyuk was open for a quick throw. Pretty weird footwork by Purdy, and then he throws toward Jennings inexplicably.

I believe Purdy has said that's their blitz-beater out of that look. Odd one, as it's a much harder throw than just hitting Aiyuk on the slant.

Lots not to like about the two crucial third down plays in crunch time of this game. Really frustrating, and ultimately, with this many breakdowns, it falls on the HC IMO.

The dumb part of the protection scheme was the C pulling left to oversell the play-action. Which opened up the no-win scenario for the Chiefs blitzing on the right side. If the C simply stays in his zone he probably covers the middle, and it's likely Purdy hits Aiyuk. C'est la vie.

[CrimsonCrew]

Finally saw the 3rd and 5 at two minutes on the All-22 (though admittedly I didn't need the All-22 for the observation to follow). I still think they should have gotten into a run play there against a 2-2-7, but Aiyuk was open for a quick throw. Pretty weird footwork by Purdy, and then he throws toward Jennings inexplicably.

I believe Purdy has said that's their blitz-beater out of that look. Odd one, as it's a much harder throw than just hitting Aiyuk on the slant.

Lots not to like about the two crucial third down plays in crunch time of this game. Really frustrating, and ultimately, with this many breakdowns, it falls on the HC IMO.

The dumb part of the protection scheme was the C pulling left to oversell the play-action. Which opened up the no-win scenario for the Chiefs blitzing on the right side. If the C simply stays in his zone he probably covers the middle, and it's likely Purdy hits Aiyuk. C'est la vie.

Our protections in both crucial third downs in this game were highly questionable and seemed too cute. JT O'Sullivan does a good breakdown of this in his lengthy slog through the game.

We're actually talking about two different plays. You're talking about the OT 3rd down. And I absolutely agree pulling the center was dumb. Not only did it just completely screw with our protection scheme and put Burford in a tough situation, but there was no real benefit to it. A pull like that is designed to freeze the LBs. But all our routes targeted DBs. If we had someone on a slant, then the pull is at least defensible as it might open that up. But instead, we had intermediate routes. The pull made our protection much more complicated without gaining anything of substance.

Similarly, on the play coming out of the two-minute warning, the protection didn't seem to accomplish our goal. We motioned CMC out of the backfield and Kittle into the backfield. Why? It's too cute. Now we don't have the threat of a run, which allows their DL and LBs in the A gaps to rush with abandon. Additionally, Kittle has very little experience blocking from the backfield. CMC has a better grasp on those responsibilities, and maybe he gets a body on McDuffie. Instead, Kittle doubled someone and allowed the free runner.

These are some of the areas Shanahan needs to improve on if we want to do more drop-back stuff.

[CharityStripe34]

Agree 100%. I saw that replay with Kittle next to Purdy and was wondering why TF it wasn't CMC. Shanahan outthinks himself sometimes. CMC probably would've recognized the middle being open and made a decent block to allow the slant. Especially since the WRs on the right were in stack formation.

Kyle needs to do a lot of self-reflection and get his head out of his a$$. Get more feedback from Brock and allow him to make some pre-snap calls if need be.

[Pattersonca65]

Finally saw the 3rd and 5 at two minutes on the All-22 (though admittedly I didn't need the All-22 for the observation to follow). I still think they should have gotten into a run play there against a 2-2-7, but Aiyuk was open for a quick throw. Pretty weird footwork by Purdy, and then he throws toward Jennings inexplicably.

I believe Purdy has said that's their blitz-beater out of that look. Odd one, as it's a much harder throw than just hitting Aiyuk on the slant.

Lots not to like about the two crucial third down plays in crunch time of this game. Really frustrating, and ultimately, with this many breakdowns, it falls on the HC IMO.

The dumb part of the protection scheme was the C pulling left to oversell the play-action. Which opened up the no-win scenario for the Chiefs blitzing on the right side. If the C simply stays in his zone he probably covers the middle, and it's likely Purdy hits Aiyuk. C'est la vie.

Our protections in both crucial third downs in this game were highly questionable and seemed too cute. JT O'Sullivan does a good breakdown of this in his lengthy slog through the game.

We're actually talking about two different plays. You're talking about the OT 3rd down. And I absolutely agree pulling the center was dumb. Not only did it just completely screw with our protection scheme and put Burford in a tough situation, but there was no real benefit to it. A pull like that is designed to freeze the LBs. But all our routes targeted DBs. If we had someone on a slant, then the pull is at least defensible as it might open that up. But instead, we had intermediate routes. The pull made our protection much more complicated without gaining anything of substance.

Similarly, on the play coming out of the two-minute warning, the protection didn't seem to accomplish our goal. We motioned CMC out of the backfield and Kittle into the backfield. Why? It's too cute. Now we don't have the threat of a run, which allows their DL and LBs in the A gaps to rush with abandon. Additionally, Kittle has very little experience blocking from the backfield. CMC has a better grasp on those responsibilities, and maybe he gets a body on McDuffie. Instead, Kittle doubled someone and allowed the free runner.

These are some of the areas Shanahan needs to improve on if we want to do more drop-back stuff.

Nine unblocked rushes is not a good stat from a pass protection standpoint

[CrimsonCrew]

Agree 100%. I saw that replay with Kittle next to Purdy and was wondering why TF it wasn't CMC. Shanahan outthinks himself sometimes. CMC probably would've recognized the middle being open and made a decent block to allow the slant. Especially since the WRs on the right were in stack formation.

Kyle needs to do a lot of self-reflection and get his head out of his a$$. Get more feedback from Brock and allow him to make some pre-snap calls if need be.

Yeah, I mean, again, on a 3rd and 5 when the only two defenders inside the tackles are LBs and the safeties are ten yards back, you need a running option. It's offensive playcalling malpractice not to. We could have had almost 900+ pounds of player run-blocking 480.

[Jax_23]

I get the emotion and frustration, I really do. We are all experiencing that right now.

That said, I'll never understand the fire Kyle crowd.

Since 2019, Outside of the historically bad run of injuries in 2020, the 49ers have been to 2 Super Bowls and 2 NFCCG's. Which equates to making the final 4 in 4/5 seasons. In one of those NFCCG's the 9ers weren't even capable of making a forward pass for like 50% of the game, after losing QB1 like 7 minutes into the game.

Because the 49ers have been so good the last 5 years, I think some folks lose grip on just how hard it is to win in the NFL. Making annual deep playoff runs aren't mundane accomplishments nor are they forgone conclusions.

On top of all this, the 49ers have remained a legit contender despite MASSIVE turnover among the coaching staff. No team in the league has endured the amount of turnover that SF has. And if you don't think coaching continuity is important just look at the Eagles this season.

Of course Kyle has flaws, and he gets quite upsetting at times. Still, he's a high end coach in this league.

Also, as you alluded to as well, there is one thing people calling for Kyle's head always leave out. They never include a name that would be a better option.

Congrats, he's Marv Levy and the 49ers are the the new 90's Buffalo Bills

What coach other than Reid would you want over him? Maybe McVay, as he is a good coach and was able to win one recently. Other than that? If you don't like what Shanahan is putting out there, you're gonna hate what the rest of the league is doing.

Harbaugh hasn't made the SB since the 2012 season. Tomlinson hasn't made it since 2010. McDermott has never made it. McCarthy hasn't gotten all that close since 2010, and nowhere near with his current squad. Siriani made it once, and then his team fell apart despite comparable talent. Tough to see all these other coaches you'd take over him.

And at the end of the day, plenty of squads from the '80s would have killed to have Marv Levy. The NFC won the SB for 13 straight years from '84 (season) to '96, and only six teams did so (the Niners, Giants, Cowboys, and Washington account for 11 of those wins). I'd rather get to the mountain top and lose than muddle around in mediocrity.

Billicheck 'cause why not. Shanahan still ring-less. Like this is just what he does. A colossal choker because he's an analytics nerd. He thinks numbers alone are going to win him games. You need both types. Dude had one of the most stacked teams in history and managed to underachieve vs the Packers, Lions, (should've been blowouts) and Chiefs (choke job). He should never be called a "genius" again 'cause he's unclutch as hell.

[CrimsonCrew]

Billicheck 'cause why not. Shanahan still ring-less. Like this is just what he does. A colossal choker because he's an analytics nerd. He thinks numbers alone are going to win him games. You need both types. Dude had one of the most stacked teams in history and managed to underachieve vs the Packers, Lions, (should've been blowouts) and Chiefs (choke job). He should never be called a "genius" again 'cause he's unclutch as hell.

How has Belichick done without Brady? In five seasons with the Browns, he had one winning season and lost by 20 in the divisional round. He followed that up with a 5-11 season. He went 5-11 in his first year with the Pats. After Brady left, he went 29-32. In nine seasons of coaching without Brady, he had two winning seasons and won a single playoff game.

This Niners' team was very good. One of the most stacked in history? That's a pretty tough sell IMO. Downright bad OL. QB who played out of his mind, but was still a second-year player.

I think Shanahan deserves plenty of criticism, but people calling for him to be fired are losing perspective in a big way.

[CrimsonCrew]

Oh, and I wouldn't call Shanahan an analytics nerd at all. He's frequently much more conservative than the analytics would call for in game situations. Our draft picks certainly are not physical freaks, generally. Frankly, I'd like to see him be more analytics-driven.

[thesack12]

Billicheck 'cause why not. Shanahan still ring-less. Like this is just what he does. A colossal choker because he's an analytics nerd. He thinks numbers alone are going to win him games. You need both types. Dude had one of the most stacked teams in history and managed to underachieve vs the Packers, Lions, (should've been blowouts) and Chiefs (choke job). He should never be called a "genius" again 'cause he's unclutch as hell.

How has Belichick done without Brady? In five seasons with the Browns, he had one winning season and lost by 20 in the divisional round. He followed that up with a 5-11 season. He went 5-11 in his first year with the Pats. After Brady left, he went 29-32. In nine seasons of coaching without Brady, he had two winning seasons and won a single playoff game.

This Niners' team was very good. One of the most stacked in history? That's a pretty tough sell IMO. Downright bad OL. QB who played out of his mind, but was still a second-year player.

I think Shanahan deserves plenty of criticism, but people calling for him to be fired are losing perspective in a big way.

This x 10000

Specific to this year's Super Bowl, a lot of people are really sleeping on just how good that Chiefs defense was. People just assume that because they have Mahomes, their offense just mows teams over. Yet, in actuality the Chiefs were 15th in points per game. This was a very, very different Chiefs team. Especially relative the version the 49ers opposed in the 2020 Super Bowl.

Specific to all of the Spags outsmarted Kyle crowd. Those people don't seem to realize that Spags is a 4x Super Bowl champ. Spags is the only 4x Super Bowl champion as a coordinator in the history of the NFL, on either side of the ball. Spags is also the same guy that led the Giants defense who held the 18-0 Patriots to 14 points in the 2008 Super Bowl and ruined their perfect season.

Some people out here talking like Kyle Shanahan got out dueled by Jack Del Rio or something.

[wco81]

Sure he went up against one of the best DCs out there.

But the play calls on the crucial 3rd down plays, it wasn't some exotic blitzes nor was it a surprise that they blitzed both times.

It was basic stuff and he threw against it, even against a 2-man line.

[CrimsonCrew]

Sure he went up against one of the best DCs out there.

But the play calls on the crucial 3rd down plays, it wasn't some exotic blitzes nor was it a surprise that they blitzed both times.

It was basic stuff and he threw against it, even against a 2-man line.

He definitely got too cute with the protections on those plays. As said, he deserves as much blame as anyone for the loss IMO. But there's a long way from that to firing him.

We had some awful breaks, including a fluke turnover, losing two starters during the game including one to a freak injury, only recovering one of their five fumbles, and some one-sided penalties. But he had a chance to win it even so and he did kind of choke in the clutch.

[wco81]

Sure he went up against one of the best DCs out there.

But the play calls on the crucial 3rd down plays, it wasn't some exotic blitzes nor was it a surprise that they blitzed both times.

It was basic stuff and he threw against it, even against a 2-man line.

He definitely got too cute with the protections on those plays. As said, he deserves as much blame as anyone for the loss IMO. But there's a long way from that to firing him.

We had some awful breaks, including a fluke turnover, losing two starters during the game including one to a freak injury, only recovering one of their five fumbles, and some one-sided penalties. But he had a chance to win it even so and he did kind of choke in the clutch.

I'm not necessarily saying fire him but I have low or no expectations as long as he's in charge, especially in charge of both player personnel and play calling/game management.

I obviously want to be proven wrong but I don't believe the 49ers will ever win the SB with him in charge.

This loss didn't hit me as hard as the previous one or the one with Harbaugh as HC. I had some expectations and hopes in those cases. But for at least a couple of seasons, I stopped believing.

I was pleasantly surprised by the moves they made like CMC trade and Purdy punching way above his weight. But despite all the regular season wins the past two seasons, they were unlikely to win the title.

The two playoffs games showed they were not as good as they were in the regular season, especially after blowing out the Cowboys and everyone said they were going to win it all.

The Ravens game, the Bengals game showed their flaws. Also last year they got blown out by the Chiefs at Levis. Then the playoffs games which they were fortunate to have survived. I'm also doubtful they'd have beaten the Ravens if they made the Super Bowl.

And now, the division is going to be tougher and other NFC teams will be more formidable -- Packers, Lions, maybe even the Cowboys depending on how their offseason goes.

So 49ers can keep Kyle, give him another extension, whatever. I just know they're not winning a ring with him as HC and head of player personnel.

[CrimsonCrew]

JT O'Sullivan on Mahomes' performance in the SB.

Watch on YouTube

Sorry for any salt in the wound. I'm mostly posting it because it shows the 3rd and 4th play (around the 10:00 mark) where Hargrave was blatantly held, allowing Mahomes to sneak out of the pocket and convert the first down. Such a blatant penalty, and of course it was a no-call. IMO, probably the worst (though there's competition) offensive hold among MANY that the officials just ignored.

Niners still could and should have won, but you just can't have a big game where one team gets called for offensive holding in crucial situations twice and the other team has plays like this that go uncalled. Ultimately, only a few of us will remember this, and KC got their trophy, but it's indicative of the league's uneven officiating to favor certain teams and arguably cost us two SB titles.