Kyle Shanahan growing case for elusive award, should 49ers finish strong
The 49ers lost their starting quarterback for an extended stretch due to a lower leg injury. All-Pro tight end George Kittle spent time on injured reserve. Nick Bosa tore his ACL in September, and the team’s other starting edge rusher suffered a season-ending injury.
The year was 2020, and head coach Kyle Shanahan’s team finished the season 6-10 amid injuries across the roster.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because the same script has unfolded in 2025.
In pandemic-impacted 2020 campaign, Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a Week 2 high ankle sprain that limited him to six games. This year, Brock Purdy’s turf toe in Week 1 forced Mac Jones into eight starts before Purdy’s return Nov. 16. Kittle in 2020 broke his foot and played in a career-low eight games. He strained his hamstring in the opener this year and missed the next five games.
Bosa in 2020 tore his ACL in Week 3, as he did the same week in 2025. Dee Ford played in just one game because of neck and back issues in 2020, while in 2025 first-round draft pick Mykel Williams tore his ACL in Week 9, making San Francisco’s pass-rush similarly anemic.
Yet, despite comparable injury-related circumstances, this year’s 49ers are 10-4 and could earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC if they win their remaining games, including Monday night’s road game against the Indianapolis Colts.
That was made possible by the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday beating the Los Angeles Rams, creating a scenario where San Francisco could win the NFC West thanks to the division record tiebreaker — should the 49ers and Rams finish with the same record, which would include a San Francisco win against Seattle in Week 18.
It adds to the case for this being Shanahan’s most impressive coaching season — and a legitimate argument for his first Coach of the Year award.
San Francisco is alive for the first-round bye and home field advantage despite not having its franchise quarterback for eight weeks, All-Pro receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the entire season after his bizarre departure, or linebacker Fred Warner after he fractured and dislocated his ankle Oct. 12 in Tampa Bay.
Oddsmakers agree. FanDuel and BetMGM both have Shanahan with the third-highest odds at +300 behind Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, who vaulted into second place following Thursday’s win at home.
Shanahan, who can reach the playoffs for the fifth time in his ninth seasons with a win, was asked earlier this month if he’s most proud of this season.
“No,” he said. “I mean, I’m proud of a lot of seasons. I was really proud of us having the second pick in the draft in ’18, being a 4-12 team, starting 8-0, being the one seed and getting really close to winning a Super Bowl in ’19. I was really proud in ‘21, I think I might be wrong, where we had to win like five out of the last six games to get the seventh seed and get us all the way to the NFC Championship with a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. I was proud of that.
“I was proud of our (2022) team of getting down to our third-string quarterback and win seven in a row to get the two seed and to go to Philly and have a chance to go to the Super Bowl. I was really proud of our ‘23 team going to the Super Bowl. I’m really proud of this team this year.”
If Shanahan can get the 49ers to win their final three games — at Indianapolis before coming home to play Chicago and Seattle — Shanahan’s case for the award will only strengthen.
