Kyle Shanahan had some confident words for 49ers general manager John Lynch before the start of the NFC Championship Game against the Detroit Lions this past Sunday at Levi's Stadium.
In a clip posted on Inside the NFL’s X (formerly Twitter) account, Shanahan is overheard saying to Lynch “See you on stage man,” implying that the next time they met would be on the winners’ stage after a 49ers win.
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While Shanahan, Lynch and the rest of the 49ers did indeed wind up on the stage hoisting the George Halas NFC Championship Trophy, it certainly did not appear like that would be a possibility early in the game.
With the Lions crushing the 49ers with a bludgeoning run game and accurate passes from quarterback Jared Goff, it seemed like San Francisco was going to come up short again in the NFC Championship Game.
Down by 17 points at halftime, Shanahan and the 49ers adjusted and made up the deficit thanks to incredible catches by Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings, along with ill-advised fourth down failures by the Lions. Eventually, San Francisco was able to put away Detroit to punch its ticket to the Super Bowl, overcoming back-to-back NFC title game losses.
Shanahan and Lynch have been tied at the hip since they both were hired to rebuild the 49ers in 2017 after years of mediocrity. Lynch’s savvy draft moves and trades for the likes of Christian McCaffrey have paid off big time along with Shanahan’s coaching prowess, with San Francisco having made the NFC title game in four of the last five seasons.
San Francisco 49ers
Still, there are lingering questions about whether Shanahan can win a championship given his previous Super Bowl losses.
Four years ago, the 49ers blew a late lead to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV and prior to Shanahan’s tenure as San Francisco head coach, he was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons as they infamously blew a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
The 49ers will take on the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII as they look to avenge that previous loss to Patrick Mahomes and Co. While San Francisco has the second-most Super Bowl titles in NFL history, the franchise has not hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy since 1995.