Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers pulled off the biggest upset of Wild Card Weekend when they defeated the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road on Sunday. After the impressive win from the number six seed in the NFC, their focus shifts to their Divisional Round matchup with their archrivals, the Seattle Seahawks.
One former Super Bowl champion believes that Kyle Shanahan deserves a lion’s share of the credit for their upset victory, as they look to become Super Bowl champions themselves.
Ryan Clark Gives High Praise to Kyle Shanahan
“I don’t believe they have enough but, I do believe Kyle Shanahan should be put on lifetime contract,” said former 13-year safety, and current ESPN analyst, Ryan Clark, when asked about the 49ers’ chances to win the Super Bowl. “What Kyle Shanahan has done this season is absolutely phenomenal.”
San Francisco ranks as the No. 4 offense in the NFL in PFSN’s Offense Impact rankings (OFFi), while finishing seventh in total yards per game (351.4), passing yards per game (244.5), and points per game (25.4).
“I don’t believe they have enough but, I do believe Kyle Shanahan should be put on lifetime contract.”@Realrclark25 on if the 49ers have enough to win a Super Bowl after all of their injuries 🏈 pic.twitter.com/9dGOLumv35
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 12, 2026
The success of the offense comes as no surprise, given that Shanahan is one of the most respected offensive play callers in the NFL, dating back to his time as the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons. However, it’s what the 49ers have overcome that is so impressive.
Shanahan and the 49ers managed to do all of this while battling a myriad of injuries. Brandon Aiyuk missed the entire season due to a torn ACL, while Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall were both limited to nine games played. Additionally, George Kittle missed six games, and Jauan Jennings also missed two games.
“Strategically and schematically, it is the greatest year I’ve ever seen a play caller have,” Clark added.
However, it wasn’t just the offense that suffered injuries. The defense lost Nick Bosa for the season to a torn ACL in Week 3, and Fred Warner sustained a dislocated and broken ankle in Week 6 that caused him to miss the remainder of the regular season, but there is hope he may be able to return soon, as reported by Jay Glazer.
Shanahan led his resilient team to a second-place finish in one of the league’s toughest divisions, the NFC West, finishing with a 12-5 record. They continued their success in the Wild Card Round, upsetting the Eagles on the road 23-19, thanks in part to a trick play Shanahan dialed up to take the lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the offensive guru will have to continue dialing up some unique play calls, as the 49ers will be without their star tight end, Kittle, who tore his Achilles tendon early in Sunday’s game. Without Kittle, the 49ers will continue to lean heavily on Christian McCaffrey and will need Jennings, Demarcus Robinson, and backup Jake Tonges to take on larger workloads.
Shanahan and the 49ers will hope to get Pearsall back as they gear up for an anticipated divisional matchup with the number one-seeded Seattle Seahawks on the road.
