Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have developed a team with almost no weaknesses. The Chiefs will have to be superb to beat them on Sunday
What a remarkable turnaround this season has been for the San Francisco 49ers. A year ago, the team was already well into their offseason. Questions were starting to bubble about whether the coach-quarterback-GM axis of Kyle Shanahan, Jimmy Garoppolo and John Lynch was all promise and no substance.
The Niners never wavered. There were no leaks, no dispensing of blame, none of the typical stuff that comes when a franchise has yet to ignite and is picking at the top of the draft again. Instead, they doubled down on their plan. The makings of something were there: the head coach was obviously a schematic savant; Lynch said all the right things, and had a defined vision; Garoppolo flashed talent. They stuck to the “process”, the most overused word in US sports. And, wow, did it ever work: From a 4-12 record to 13-3 in one year.