Is Kyle Shanahan the Super Bowl’s Charlie Brown? Why 49ers coach has three of big game’s largest blown leads

Sports are about traditions, and going all out on Super Bowl Sunday with great dining spreads and having friends and family over to celebrate is one of America’s biggest ones.

Another football tradition, albeit a cartoon one in the comic strip “Peanuts,” is Lucy never letting Charlie Brown kick the football after holding it out for him, time and time again. After the San Francisco 49ers’ 25-22 overtime defeat to the now back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, head coach Kyle Shanahan is now the Super Bowl’s Charlie Brown — always seeming to be in great position for success, but something goes terribly wrong.

“We all hurt and don’t have a lot of words for it,” Shanahan said postgame. “Obviously, we’re hurting, our team’s hurting, but that’s how it goes when you put yourself out there. I’m real proud of our guys, no regrets with our team. I thought our guys played so hard today not everything was perfect by any means, but if I’m going to lose with a group of guys, I’d do it with those guys any time and we’ll get over this and come back next year ready to go.”  

Shanahan has made the Super Bowl three times — once as an offensive coordinator with the 2016 Atlanta Falcons and twice as a head coach with the 2019 and 2023 San Francisco 49ers. Those three trips to the NFL’s final level have resulted in Shanahan being responsible for three of the largest blown leads in Super Bowl history. 

25-point blown lead as Falcons OC (2016 in Super Bowl LI vs Patriots, led 28-3)10-point blown lead as 49ers HC (2019 in Super Bowl LIV vs Chiefs, led 20-10)10-point blown lead as 49ers HC (2023 in Super Bowl LVIII vs Chiefs, led 10-0)

A 10-point cushion being surrendered represents the second-largest lead blown in Super Bowl history with only the 28-3 collapse being the greater Big Game meltdown. 

Largest blown leads in Super Bowl history

* Kyle Shanahan was 2016 Falcons offensive…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/is-kyle-shanahan-the-super-bowls-charlie-brown-why-49ers-coach-has-three-of-big-games-largest-blown-leads/

Author : Garrett Podell

Publish date : 2024-02-12 22:40:39

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