Kyle Shanahan is the pre-eminent offensive mind of his generation, his offense and his acolytes have proliferated around the league, with his scheme dominating the modern day NFL. In 2023, his San Francisco 49ers offense was by far the best in football.
And yet he still does not have a Super Bowl ring, and he is still not regarded as the best head coach in the game.
Pro Football Focus recently released its rankings of the top 10 head coaches in the NFL, with Shanahan's position illustrating the challenge he and the 49ers face in 2024.
Shanahan sits in second behind only Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs, who in February's Super Bowl got the better of the 49ers for the second time in five seasons.
Reid and Shanahan exist on the same plane as offensive minds. Prior to Shanahan's ascent through the coaching ranks, Reid was arguably the foremost offensive mind in the league and still stands as one of the best in the game in that regard, with his capacity for innovation for keeping the Chiefs at the top of the mountain.
And, each time he has faced Shanahan as a head coach, he has prevailed. Reid is 4-0 against Shanahan across two regular-season meetings and the two Super Bowl clashes.
The two regular-season wins were blowouts, while the two Super Bowls saw the Chiefs pull off comebacks to prevail in dramatic fashion. Reid, of course, had the benefit of having Patrick Mahomes on his side to orchestrate those comebacks, while defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has arguably played just as big of a role as Reid in the Chiefs overcoming the 49ers on the biggest stage on two occasions.
Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas was the closest Shanahan and the 49ers have come to the ultimate glory. They were one defensive stop away from beating the Chiefs in that overtime thriller.
Now the 49ers must try to get over the devastation of another heartbreak on the biggest stage. Beyond that, San Francisco has another mental hurdle when it faces Kansas City in Week 7 .
The Niners will all insist they are focusing on what lies ahead, but it will be hard for them not to think back to the agony of Allegiant Stadium when the Chiefs visit Levi's Stadium in October.
For the 49ers it's a date with the team that has played the most significant role in preventing them from becoming a dynasty under Shanahan. For their head coach, it's a date with the boogeyman, the one coach he cannot beat and the one that, as PFF's rankings illustrate, stands between him and a position as the clear gold standard among head coaches.
As the 49ers attempt to plot their way back to the Super Bowl, a reunion with the Chiefs represents perhaps the biggest hurdle on their schedule. They need to prove themselves that they can finally slay the dragon and that Shanahan can get the better of Reid. If they can do so, the 49ers will be in a much better position to surge down the stretch with renewed optimism that they can finish the job in the Super Bowl after going agonizingly close so often.
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