Data predicts bad news for 49ers' Super Bowl hopes with Kyle Shanahan
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
For a piece published Sunday, Grant Gordon of the NFL's website shared why the San Francisco 49ers may never win a Super Bowl with Kyle Shanahan as their head coach.
"Following the 49ers' overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, Shanahan became the fifth coach in NFL history to lose his first three Super Bowl appearances as a head coach or coordinator, per NFL Research," Gordon explained. "None of the previous four coaches ever won a Super Bowl."
Much was made before Super Bowl LVIII about whether Shanahan would be rattled by his previous championship-game experiences. He served as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons when they famously blew a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI in February 2017. Shanahan's 49ers later held a 20-10 advantage over the Chiefs midway through the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LIV but ultimately lost that February 2020 showdown by 11 points.
In Super Bowl LVIII, San Francisco failed to hold leads of 10-0, 16-13, 19-16 and 22-19 before Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes guided his offense to a game-winning drive in overtime.
Gordon noted that Marv Levy, Bud Grant, Ted Marchibroda and Jerry Burns are the other four coaches/coordinators to accumulate losses across their first three Super Bowl appearances. Levy won four conference championships with the Buffalo Bills, while Grant took the Minnesota Vikings to four Super Bowl games as their head coach.
Gordon isn't the first one to suggest that Shanahan may never hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy with the 49ers (or any other team). In May, Mike Florio and Chris Simms of NBC Sports openly wondered if Shanahan could look for a fresh start away from San Francisco if the club doesn't win on Super Bowl Sunday 2025.
As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list the 49ers second behind only the Chiefs (+550) at +600 betting odds to win Super Bowl LIX. On paper, Shanahan's team has the goods to help him achieve something never before accomplished by a coach or coordinator with a similar Super Bowl résumé.
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