When 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan drew up the start to his head coaching career, he likely pencilled himself in for a win at some point before the 10th week of the regular season, but things don’t always play out exactly as one would hope.
The 49ers lost nine straight games before the Giants came to town on Sunday and provided the 49ers with a golden opportunity for the first win of the Shanahan era. The 49ers took advantage of that opportunity by rolling up 474 yards and scoring 21 straight points after falling behind 13-10 in the second quarter.
After the 31-21 win was over, Shanahan said at a press conference that he “got that monkey off my back” and credited the team’s players for keeping their spirits up through tough times.
“I feel good. I feel very good,” Shanahan said. “I didn’t know it’d take this long, but it was special with the guys. I was real happy for them. Those guys have been working so hard and we just keep coming in every Monday so disappointed. By the time I see them every Wednesday, those guys are like the first game of the year. To have them still out there going like that with how many we’ve lost in a row, that’s what gave us a chance to win today and just real happy for them.”
The 49ers didn’t lose nine straight by accident, so it seems unlikely that things are going to be considerably easier the rest of the way. They’ll have a bye week to savor the win and try to find a way to make sure that success breeds more of the same once they return to the field in Week 12.