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The San Francisco 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan, added another meaningful milestone to his solid coaching resume on Sunday night, and it came with a family twist he didn’t even realize in the moment.
With the 49ers’ gritty 23-19 road win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, Shanahan secured his ninth career playoff victory, quietly surpassing his father, Hall of Fame coach Mike Shanahan, who finished with eight postseason wins. The moment only hit Kyle after the game, thanks to his wife, Mandy Shanahan.
“My wife actually told me that on the plane, so it actually surprised me,” said Kyle Shanahan, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “I went back and tried to count them and it was pretty cool. So, I’ll let him hear about it this weekend.”
The comment captured both the surprise and pride of a coach whose postseason success now stands on its own, separate from his famous last name. Mike Shanahan’s legacy includes back-to-back Super Bowl titles with the Denver Broncos during the 1997 and 1998 seasons, but Kyle’s playoff skit continues to grow with each deep run.
Sunday’s win may have been one of the most emblematic of Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. The No. 6-seed 49ers entered Philadelphia battered and overlooked, already having survived a season riddled with injuries. San Francisco won 13 games despite missing stars like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for large stretches, and that resilience was tested yet again when their superstar TE George Kittle exited early with a devastating Achilles injury.
Still, the 49ers refused to fold. Role players stepped up, the defense stiffened late, and Shanahan’s game management helped San Francisco outlast a hostile environment against one of the league’s toughest teams. The victory not only kept Warner’s potential return alive but also sent a message that the 49ers’ postseason run is far from accidental.
Now, San Francisco heads to face the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC divisional round, where the odds will again tilt against them. The Seahawks (14-3) handled the 49ers convincingly just weeks ago, and common sense suggests the wear and tear should eventually catch up.
But Shanahan’s team has thrived on being doubted all season. And as long as the 49ers keep finding ways to win, Shanahan will keep adding to a playoff legacy — one he’s clearly earned, and one he’s more than happy to remind his father about.
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