San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan hasn’t won a Super Bowl. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a great coach.
If last season, in which he won 12 games with an injury-ravaged team, didn’t prove how good he is at leading the 49ers, this year is doing just that.
The 49ers are 5-0 after going to Seattle and beating the Seahawks on Sunday, doing it with a defense leading the charge, rather than the Shanahan-led offense.
The 49ers limited the Seattle running attack, forced four turnovers, one of which was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown, and had five sacks, the most they’ve had in a game since 2024. They did it without star pass rusher Nick Bosa.
First-year defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is using a much more aggressive scheme than past Shanahan coordinators, and it’s showing up in takeaways and sacks. The coverage is tighter.
Combine that with Shanahan’s offensive wizardry and an MVP-type start for quarterback Brock Purdy, and it’s easy to understand why the 49ers sit atop my Power Rankings. Going to Seattle and beating the defending champs sends a loud message to the rest of the league.
This team is really good.
As for Shanahan, his greatness as a coach might not truly be earned until he wins a Super Bowl. That’s just the way it is. He came close when his Jimmy Garoppolo-led 49ers had a lead against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV after the 2019 season, only to see Patrick Mahomes rally to win it. They came close again four years later in Super Bowl LVIII, with Purdy and Co. pushing Mahomes and the Chiefs to overtime before losing.
This team, provided it stays healthy, has a real shot at getting back there for Shanahan. For now, they are the league’s best team with a schedule that might not be as tough as expected before the season. Plus, they already have victories over division rivals in the Rams and Seahawks.
This could be Shanahan’s year to win one.
The bottom of my rankings stays the same. The Miami Dolphins remain at No. 32, but the Tennessee Titans at No. 31 will give them a run for their money this season. Neither team has won a game. Who wins first?
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
|
They showed in Seattle they can win a game even when the offense isn’t rolling up big numbers. That’s a good sign going forward since the defense has a lot of young players. | — | 5-0-0 |
2 |
|
They come off their bye with a home game against the winless Chargers. They do so with injury concerns at receiver and the pass rush hasn’t had a sack in three games. | — | 4-0-0 |
3 |
|
They just keep on winning with their defense. But the offense showed some life with Kyler Murray in the victory over the Saints. | — | 5-0-0 |
4 |
|
They are 4-1, but they have to feel fortunate beating the Eagles in ugly fashion. They can’t win a lot of games playing that way. | 1 | 4-1-0 |
5 |
|
They found a way against the Rams Monday night, but that defense needs to be better. Oh, and James Cook has to quit fumbling. | 1 | 4-1-0 |
6 |
|
Winning at Atlanta with backup Tyler Huntley is a good sign for this team. They showed a lot in rallying to win that game. | 1 | 4-1-0 |
7 |
|
At 3-2, they have to get their running game going. It’s the key to their offense, and it’s just not working right now. | 3 | 3-2-0 |
8 |
|
They rallied to beat the Chargers, but it’s not like the move to Sean Payton calling plays changed things in a big way. Bo Nix has to be better. | 3 | 3-2-0 |
9 |
|
They head to their bye at 3-2 after beating Miami. The good news is they are 11th in scoring defense, showing big improvement from last season. | 5 | 3-2-0 |
10 |
|
Who saw this team at 2-3 after five games? Dream team? Maybe we all rushed to judgement. | 1 | 2-3-0 |
11 |
|
Drake Maye has righted things in a big way. He’s been on fire the past two weeks as the Pats have turned their season around. | 4 | 3-2-0 |
12 |
|
The offense continued to be good in the victory over the Cardinals, while the defense made strides. They got pressure up front, which helped the bad secondary. | 8 | 3-2-0 |
13 |
|
At 3-2, the offense showed some life against the Colts. The running game with Jaylen Warren really led them to victory. | 8 | 3-2-0 |
14 |
|
They were able to unleash Jordan Love against the Bears. It needs to stay that way going forward. The deep passing game is their best option. | 10 | 3-2-0 |
15 |
|
The run game struggled against the Packers, and because of that the backup quarterbacks did as well. But the worst part: The defense was awful. | 7 | 3-2-0 |
16 |
|
The tie against the Commanders might not feel good, but at 3-1-1 they still lead the division. Jameis Winston was good in the comeback in the second half. | 1 | 3-1-1 |
17 |
|
This thing has gotten ugly. The defense is historically bad. Their effort isn’t good either. Jerry Jones has to be seething. | 5 | 2-3-0 |
18 |
|
Their 3-0 start looks like a long time ago after two straight losses, including the embarrassing loss to the Patriots Sunday. The next two weeks aren’t any easier with the Bills and Rams on deck. | 8 | 3-2-0 |
19 |
|
They came back to reality some in the loss to the Jets. But at 3-2, they have to be thrilled with their start. | 3 | 3-2-0 |
20 |
|
They come off their bye atop the NFC South standings. Their road game this week at Philadelphia isn’t as daunting as it looked a few weeks ago. | 2 | 2-2-0 |
21 |
|
The Eagles have lost three straight and injuries have decimated this team. But coach Nick Sirianni blew the game to the Jaguars on Sunday. | 8 | 2-3-0 |
22 |
|
Losing at home to the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens has to sting. Now Michael Penix is banged up again, which isn’t good. | 3 | 2-3-0 |
23 |
|
The offense with C.J. Stroud has been playing good football. The change to DeMeco Ryans calling plays seemed to work as they ready to play a big game this week with Jacksonville. | 3 | 1-4-0 |
24 |
|
This is a tough team to gauge. Some weeks they look good. Others not so much. But after losing to the Steelers, they have a good chance to regroup against the Titans this week. | 2 | 2-3-0 |
25 |
|
It wasn’t pretty, but they found a way in beating the Browns. The pass rush was dominant against Cleveland with eight sacks. | 4 | 2-3-0 |
26 |
|
The optimism of the first two weeks has really faded. They’ve lost three straight to fall to 1-4. Tyler Shough-mania has slowed. | 3 | 1-4-0 |
27 |
|
The defense is a mess right now and they don’t do enough on offense. At some point, they have to play rookie Carson Beck at quarterback. | 2 | 1-4-0 |
28 |
|
The tie they got against the Giants should have been a victory. They choked at the end. That has to sting to not win it. | — | 1-3-1 |
29 |
|
That might have been a season-saving victory over the Cowboys. The running game came alive with Bucky Irving. | 1 | 1-4-0 |
30 |
|
At 0-5, their season is over. The Chargers doing Chargers things to lose to the Broncos Sunday is so on point. Jim Harbaugh needs to look in the mirror. | 3 | 0-5-0 |
31 |
|
They just can’t get anything going on offense. Wasn’t this supposed to be a different type of year for Cam Ward? | — | 0-5-0 |
32 |
|
They stay in their spot as they lost to the Bengals. The question is will they win a game. | — | 0-5-0 |
