Kyle Shanahan, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, hinted to his first item of business against the Green Bay Packers. The Packers will travel to San Francisco on Saturday to face the 49ers in the Divisional Round.
Love put up excellent footage for the Packers on his first drive against the Dallas Cowboys last weekend. Instead of deferring, the Packers decided to take the ball against the Cowboys. Most NFL teams would not make that selection.
However, it paid off for Green Bay. The Packers drove 75 yards in 12 plays, culminating in a three-yard touchdown run by Aaron Jones. The Packers never looked back as they defeated the Cowboys last week.
The San Francisco 49ers want to delay on Saturday.
This week, reporters asked Shanahan if the 49ers will start the game on offense instead of allowing Love to score early. According to a transcript of Shanahan’s statement provided by 49ers Webzone, the head coach responded, “Nope.”
Shanahan believes Love can get into rhythm at any point during the game.
“I believe he can find rhythm in the early stages of the third quarter as well. I believe he had a solid rhythm on the second drive, too. I don’t believe it’s because he started with the ball, but that’s simply everyone’s preference. It’s usually beneficial to establish a significant lead.
It’s also beneficial to score at the end of the second quarter and receive the ball first, like Dallas did, which would have put them right back in the game if they had scored in the first third and Green Bay had not responded.
If I thought our team was suffering with something, I’d change my mind. I typically think it’s a coincidence. When you play good football, you typically score. “When things don’t happen, you don’t.”
Kyle Shanahan does not want Jordan Love to gain possession.
Shanahan did not always believe that deferring to the second half was necessary when he initially joined the league. However, he believes postponing is the best opportunity to give the 49ers an extra possession:
“Yeah, just kind of lap them. That is the advantage. If not, I believe it usually plays out evenly. But you have an opportunity to gain an extra possession. I didn’t know or believe this before 15 years of listening to others. I didn’t think about it much growing up or when I initially joined the League, but after witnessing it all and studying it since I was in Atlanta, I feel quite strongly about it.”
Shanahan’s comments are intriguing, given his thoughts on the Cowboys/Packers game earlier in the week. Because of the Packers’ quick start in the first half against the Cowboys, Shanahan stated the 49ers began preparing for the Packers in the second quarter of their eventual victory.
Shanahan does not appear concerned that what happened in Dallas will repeat itself in San Francisco this weekend. And he shouldn’t, because the 49ers are far more complete than the Cowboys were. Shanahan is also a more effective coach than Mike McCarthy.
However, the 49ers must be prepared for the Packers to come out of the gate quickly on Saturday. The Packers are a scary team because they’re playing like they have nothing to lose. The 49ers may temper the Packers’ expectations by scoring first against this Packers team.
But that is unlikely to happen if Shanahan defers till the second half.
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