2021 NFL Power Rankings Week 8: Titans make another statement, Chiefs continue free fall

Narratives in the NFL are hard to break — no matter how much evidence we get to the contrary. We see this often when it comes to players. A guy who oftentimes gets considered an underachiever might have a hard time shaking that label no matter what they do. The same can happen when someone has a hot start to their career and no one wants to admit they’re not living up to expectations.

This could also happen with coaches — take Kyle Shanahan for instance. There’s a general consensus that the San Francisco 49ers head coach is one of the best in the business and they’re usually considered a team to watch in the NFC. But why?

Shanahan did take the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019 nut outside of that season, he has never had a winning season. But since the narrative remains that he’s an offensive genius, we pretend 2019 is the norm and excuse his losing campaigns in 2017, 2018, and 2020. We’ll probably even excuse his 2-4 start this season which includes him and his offense falling apart down the stretch against Indianapolis.

However, if we’re being honest, this just isn’t a very good team and somewhere along the way, Shanahan should have the microscope put on him.