49ers notebook: Kyle Shanahan calls Sunday’s win over NFC West opponent a ‘big step’
One point of emphasis for Kyle Shanahan entering his third season as the 49ers head coach was to improve against the NFC West. After Sunday’s impressive showing in the 20-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, Shanahan thinks his team is making significant progress.
“We struggled with a number of things the first two years,” Shanahan said Monday. “But I would say (winning division games) would be at least tied for the biggest one. If you don’t win in your division, no matter what you do, it’s hard to ever have a chance at the playoffs.
“So we were real happy with how we started out, being 4-0, but it’s a whole new ballgame when you first open it up versus your division and to have that versus the Rams, the team that has kind of dominated this division the last two years, I think it was a big step for our team and hopefully we’ll continue going forward with it.”
The 49ers came into the season having gone 2-10 in the division under Shanahan since he was hired. Both victories came after the team had been eliminated from playoff contention.
The first in 2017 was in the finale against the Rams with Jimmy Garoppolo making his fifth start with San Francisco. L.A. had their postseason status sewn up and rested the starters. Last season, the 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15 to improve to 4-10 with then-third stringer Nick Mullens under center.
A case can be made that Sunday’s victory over the Rams, who won the last two NFC West titles, was Shanahan’s most significant since becoming a head coach. The 49ers are 5-0 after starting 0-9 in his first year and 2-10 last season.
The more the team wins, the more confidence emanates from the locker room. The team believes a deep playoff run is possible after throttling the defending conference champions and outscoring their opponents 51-10 the last two weeks. The 49ers and the defending champion New England Patriots (6-0) are the NFL’s only unbeaten teams.
“I want (the players) to know that they can win every game they go into no matter who’s in front of them. And I think our team does believe that,” Shanahan said. “We have the people, we can put the schemes together, we have the talent to do it and ... we really believe we can win any game. That’s where it starts with a good team. I don’t care how good you are, it’s very tough to do that. But when you have that mindset and it’s real through the work you put in, from how talented you can see some of the guys are next to you, then it becomes real. And then the more you can win, the stronger it gets.”
The 49ers have two games before its next divisional contest. They’ll travel to face the Washington Redskins this weekend before hosting the 4-2 Carolina Panthers on Oct. 27. Then there’s a short week before traveling to play the Arizona Cardinals in a Thursday night game on Halloween.
After Arizona is a “Monday Night Football” meeting Nov. 11 with the Seahawks, who improved to 5-1 Sunday with a road win over the Cleveland Browns.
Seattle appears to be a threat in the NFC behind a rebuilt roster and MVP-caliber play from quarterback Russell Wilson. Shanahan admitted to keeping tabs on the Seahawks, but noted he won’t start actively track divisional rivals until later.
“I don’t know who they’re playing this week. It’s early in the season,” he said. “I know who we’re playing. That’s about it. You do look at it a little bit more towards the end of the year when you’re trying to be in that situation. You’re still a ways away before you consider looking into that stuff.”
San Francisco’s clear strength is on defense. The reinforcements along the defensive line in Nick Bosa, this year’s No. 2 draft pick, and Dee Ford, acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, have transformed the unit into the NFL’s top pass defense, allowing 150 yards per game. Bosa has three sacks and is among the league leaders in pressers off the edge.
Ford leads the team with 2 1/2 sacks and on Sunday had his best game since joining San Francisco. He was credit with 1 1/2 sacks and forced quarterback Jared Goff to fumble in the fourth quarter.
Shanahan on Monday was asked about the defense’s sudden rise from 28th in opponents’ scoring last year to No. 2 in both yardage (237 yards per game) and scoring (12.8 points) – and how much of that has to do with coordinator Robert Saleh.
“I think our personnel’s gotten better, which makes it easier to get better as a coach, too,” Shanahan said. “And I also think some of the things we’ve been doing, just like coaches get better with more reps, so do players. A lot of these guys have gotten to play over these last couple years. Guys like Fred (Warner) and stuff like that. So they’re better now, the pieces we’ve added are better. And I think our coaches have gotten better at using our personnel also.”
Shanahan offers timeline for Joe Staley, Ahkello Witherspoon
The 49ers have survived three games without Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley following a fractured fibula suffered Week 2 in Cincinnati. Rookie sixth-round pick Justin Skule has filled in. Shanahan said he’s circled the Halloween game for his return.
That means it’s likely Staley is back for the pivotal Week 10 home game against Seattle, which could have massive ramifications on the divisional race.
Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, meanwhile, has resumed light workouts. He was on the field in cleats with his teammates during early warmups before Sunday’s game, but it will likely be another week before he returns to practice, Shanahan said. It’s looking like Witherspoon could be back for the Oct. 27 game against Carolina.
▪ Shanahan said rookie receiver Deebo Samuel suffered a groin injury Sunday, initially diagnosed as a quad injury, and is officially day-to-day, putting him in doubt for the Washington game. Same for defensive tackle D.J. Jones, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Rams.
▪ Cornerback Richard Sherman had a stinger to his right shoulder that caused him to leave Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter. Sherman, who returned, isn’t expected to miss any time.
▪ Nickel cornerback K’Waun Williams played through a hand injury Sunday. He was limited to 27 snaps while backup D.J. Reed Jr. played 20. Williams is expected to practice Wednesday.
▪ Shanahan said the six- to eight-week time tables for right tackle Mike McGlinchey and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who both had knee injuries Oct. 7 against Cleveland, have not changed. They are expected to return at some point during the first half of November.
This story was originally published October 14, 2019 at 6:27 PM.
