San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan won his first start against the Green Bay Packers.
On Saturday, the Packers travel to San Francisco to play the 49ers in the divisional round. Love put up some impressive tape for the Packers in their opener against the Dallas Cowboys last weekend.
Rather than delay, the Packers chose to take the ball against the Cowboys. It’s a decision most NFL teams wouldn’t make.But it paid off in Green Bay.
The Packers went on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Aaron Jones’ 3-yard run. The Packers never looked back en route to upsetting the Cowboys last week. Reporters asked Shanahan this week if the 49ers would consider bringing the ball to Love to start the game rather than setting him up early in the game.
According to Shanahan’s statement to the 49ers Webzone, the coach said, “No, Shanahan thinks Love will get into a rhythm at any point in the game.”“I think they might get into a rhythm early in the third quarter. I think the pace was good on the second attraction as well. I don’t think it started with a solo shot, but everyone had something they wanted.
It’s always good to start with big plans.And it’s good to score in the second quarter and get the ball first, but like Dallas, if you score in the first three quarters and Green Bay doesn’t respond, you’re going to get kicked right away. If I think my team is struggling with something, I’ll change my mind. I think it’s mostly a coincidence. If you are good at soccer, you usually score goals. If it was nothing, you wouldn’t have done it either.
When Shanahan first entered the league, he didn’t see the need for a late-game replacement. But he believes the delay is the 49ers’ best opportunity to gain the extra possession.”Yeah, I’m going to put him on my lap for a little while.” This is an advantage. Otherwise, I think it’s usually fine.
However, there are opportunities to acquire additional properties. I didn’t know, never thought about it, but I’ve been listening to people say it for the last 15 years. I didn’t think about it growing up or when I first came into the league, but since I’ve been in Atlanta, I feel really strong now that I’m seeing everything and really studying it.
Check out the Cowboy/Packers game earlier this week. Because of the Packers’ fast start in the first half against the Cowboys, Shanahan said he started preparing for the Packers in the second quarter of the 49ers’ win over the Cowboys.
Shanahan isn’t bothered by what happened this weekend in Dallas and what happened again in San Francisco. They shouldn’t, because the 49ers are a much more complete team than the Cowboys. Shanahan is also a better coach than Mike McCarthy. But the 49ers should be ready to get blown out of the gate quickly by the Packers on Saturday.
The Packers are a dangerous team because they play like they have nothing to lose. The 49ers can lower the Packers expectations by taking the top spot on this Packers team.But I doubt that will happen if Shanahan is late in the second half.
