NFL Notebook, Super Bowl: Next up for Chiefs and 49ers, Hall of Fame concerns
By Zach Cohen
What’s Next for San Fransisco?
As with every Super Bowl, one team will have to live with the fact that they were so close, yet so far. This year, that’s the 49ers, who deserve to look at the glass half-full. Their phenomenal season was capped off with an NFC Championship. Heck, they were the third team in NFL history to reach the championship game after winning four games the year before.
San Fransisco has the league’s best, young pass rush (who should totally call themselves ‘the Gold Rush’), an innovative head coach and budding stars across the board. I’m specifically talking about guys like Fred Warner, Raheem Mostert, Dre Greenlaw and Laken Tomlinson.
The #49ers defensive line needs to be nicknamed the Gold Rush
— Zach Cohen (@ZachCohenFB) February 3, 2020
If you’re a 49er fan, now is the time to move along, because here is the downside to losing Sunday’s game. For starters, Kyle Shanahan will not be able to shake the “can’t win the big one” label, just like Andy Reid couldn’t before, you know, he did. Up 10 with 6:30 left, the 49ers surrendered 21 unanswered points. I’m not saying that’s all Shanahan’s fault, but he deserves some of the blame because it’s his team.
Also, Jimmy Garoppolo had a good game up until that point (excluding his head-scratching second-quarter interception). He’ll be wrongfully labeled as average and nothing special. He’s a good quarterback; he just didn’t deliver in the moments that counted.
As for the rest of the team, I expect them to be back atop the NFL in 2020 and beyond. They have good, young players coupled with seasoned veterans and a fantastic young coach. Cheer up, San Fransisco, you’ll be back.