Starting off an NFL season 0-9 would appear to be most the disheartening scenario for a newly hired head coach.
But after the 49ers’ 41-33 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Kyle Shanahan admitted that the 2020 season has been by far, the most disappointing of his four seasons as the coach of the 49ers.
While injuries have decimated his roster and the coronavirus pandemic has taken away the team’s home base, the coach still believes that the team not playing up to its potential has been the most upsetting part of the season.
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“I kind of understood what the first couple of years were going to be like coming here,” Shanahan said. “We knew what we wanted to do and built through that. Kind of everything went as planned. This year was the most disappointing one.”
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After coming within minutes of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February, being eliminated from playoff contention in Week 15 has been discouraging for Shanahan, his players and staff. They kept their roster and coaching staff nearly identical to their 2019 run.
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Of all the challenges that the 49ers faced this season, Shanahan is not making any excuses but did point to a lost offseason as having the most impact. Without the ability to get their players into football shape, the injuries have been overwhelming.
Leaving their facility and relocating to Arizona due to Santa Clara County's ban on contact sports was a huge hurdle, but Shanahan does not believe that the challenge was insurmountable. Having several contests lost due to self-inflicted wounds has been the most disheartening for the head coach.
The 49ers have committed a total of 29 turnovers which is second to only the Denver Broncos who have racked up 31 through Week 15. Several of San Francisco's losses might have turned into wins if not for the team’s inability to take care of the ball. They didn't live up to their potential.
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“Definitely a huge challenge this year but I always believe we could have won more games than we have so far,” Shanahan said. “We’ve dealt with a lot of crap this year but I wouldn’t say it’s too much to overcome.
“I think we would have overcome it without turnovers today. You play good football, you have a chance to win every week, regardless of our circumstances.”
The 49ers' final two games of the season won't mean anything for the 49ers in terms of their standings, but it can be used as a confidence builder as well as a positive end to an extremely challenging season.