49ers' Kyle Shanahan not worried about potential trap game vs. Falcons

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SANTA CLARA — Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons has all the makings of a trap game for the 49ers, but coach Kyle Shanahan isn’t worried about his players letting their foot off the gas. 

Two emotional, hard-fought games during a 10-day road trip is a recipe for an emotional sigh of relief for players. Getting up to face a four-win Atlanta team has the potential for a letdown, but Shanahan has confidence in the mettle of the guys in his locker room. 

“Yeah, you always address that,” Shanahan said. “It’s not as much about them. I think what we’ve been through these last few weeks and then when you know how people outside of this building will look at it because they aren’t in the playoffs, they have been eliminated, the difference in the records and stuff.”  

Part of the reason that Shanahan hasn’t been concerned about the focus of his team is what they have been through prior to this season. While there are new additions to the roster, most of the players survived winning just 10 total games over the previous two seasons. 

“These guys have won three out of their last five games,” Shanahan said of the Falcons. “They beat a very good team in New Orleans. It wasn’t a close game, they beat them with ease. Beat Carolina last week by a lot. It’s not just luck. You turn on the tape and you can see why. Everyone knows the names that they have over there, the team is playing at a very high level right now.”

The 49ers currently sit at the top at the NFC while the Falcons have nothing to lose, making them hungry for the chance to play spoiler. 

[RELATED: 49ers' spotlight on Garland in pivotal game vs. Falcons]

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With defensive backs Richard Sherman and K’Waun Williams already ruled out for Sunday’s matchup, the secondary knows they need to stay focused. 

“It’s been very easy for me,” Shanahan said. “The way these guys have looked on tape these last five weeks, how hard they’ve played, the coaches that they have, the players that they have and then when you turn on the tape and watch how hard they’ve been going, it hasn’t been hard at all for me to tell the guys. As soon as they saw the tape they could see that.” 

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