There are no undefeated teams remaining in the NFL right now, and seven teams are tied for the league’s best record at 4-1. The San Francisco 49ers, despite their many key injuries, are one of those teams sitting at 4-1 as Week 6 approaches.
Despite being without starting quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, defensive end Nick Bosa and wide receivers Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers engineered a gutsy 26-23 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams last Thursday. Their defense, which was very poor last season, looks revitalized, and QB2 Mac Jones has done a fine job filling in for Purdy.
Fox Sports 1 personality Colin Cowherd has often been critical of the Niners and, in particular, Purdy. But he seems impressed with the job coach Kyle Shanahan has done with them, to the point where he said Shanahan, to this point, could deserve the Coach of the Year award.
“I think Kyle Shanahan is having his best year as a coach. They don’t have Purdy, Aiyuk, Kittle, Jennings, Nick Bosa. They’re 3-0 on the road. Mac Jones looks like a Pro Bowler. This is great coaching. They’re the only team averaging 40 passes a game. Think about that — with Mac Jones. There’s no substitute teacher here. They’re asking Mac to throw it 40 times a game. Christian McCaffrey touching the ball a little more than I want him to. Cross your fingers on his health. But coaching matters and Shanahan could be Coach of the Year right now. He’s coaching his butt off.”
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Shanahan has a bit of a polarizing reputation. While he’s generally regarded as an offensive wizard and one of the NFL’s better coaches, some also feel he has an inability to get out of his way in big games and guide his team to a Super Bowl championship.
In six previous seasons, the Niners have reached the NFC Championship Game four times and the Super Bowl twice. In three of those losses, they blew double-digit second-half leads, and fans have to wonder if the team will ever get over the hump.
This is the second year in a row that San Francisco has been ravaged by the injury bug. Last year, a large number of key players went down with injuries, and it resulted in the team going 6-11 and missing the playoffs.
This year, at least so far, the team appears to be a little more stable. It has been winning games in the final minutes by making big defensive plays, such as the fumble that rookie defensive lineman Alfred Collins forced on Rams running back Kyren Williams near the goal line late in the fourth quarter of last week’s contest that denied the Rams a go-ahead touchdown.
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Jones had looked like a bust over the last couple of years, but he is playing solid football in Shanahan’s offensive system, and star running back Christian McCaffrey may not be efficient right now with his rush attempts, but he’s putting up strong numbers both on the ground and in the air.
If the 49ers ever manage to get and stay healthy anytime soon, they could end up doing some real damage once again in the NFL playoffs this winter.
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