Kyle Shanahan, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, predicted that the team would need to win the final two games of the regular season to secure home-field advantage. He referred to the games as “must-win” before the victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Then, just moments after the 49ers walked off the field at FedEx Field, the Arizona Cardinals upset the Philadelphia Eagles. This unexpected turn of events provided relief for Shanahan and the team.
“When I got on that plane, I was like, ‘Oh, this is amazing, guys. We can unwind a little bit, and we haven’t done this in a while,'” Shanahan stated this on Thursday’s “Tolbert and Copes” show on Bay Area radio station KNBR. “Then I woke up Monday morning and…”
I had to send everyone a FaceTime saying, ‘Guys, actually, now I’ve thought about this, and there’s no way in hell I can rest everybody. So you guys had better come in with your minds right on Wednesday and not think that whatever we were feeling on the plane ride home is still the same now.'”
Shanahan was struck by the reality of the situation. A two-week break was out of the question for the starters. It was about more than just avoiding rust; the team still needed to field a lineup for the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Rams. That is difficult to accomplish when 22 starters are rested.
