NFL Divisional Round Coaching Decisions: Kyle Shanahan, 49ers Learn How to Win Ugly

San Francisco won without its A game against Green Bay, but will likely need to be better against the Lions with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

It was an ugly performance for the San Francisco 49ers during a rain-filled home game to open the postseason against the Green Bay Packers.

Brock Purdy missed throws. Deebo Samuel was ruled out due to injury. Nick Bosa and his loaded defensive front failed to generate a sack. And coach Kyle Shanahan struggled with game management.

It was everything the top-seeded 49ers needed, and it didn’t matter that they were forced to rally late against a team that went 9–8 in the regular season. The week before, the Packers and Jordan Love steamrolled the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the first No. 7 seed to defeat a second seed since the league expanded to a 14-team playoff in 2020.

The 49ers needed a muddy come-from-behind victory to know in the back of their minds they can overcome postseason adversity. That not everything needs to go perfectly, which was often the case in the regular season and hasn’t done them any good in the playoffs since Shanahan arrived in 2017.

The 49ers will be better off for surviving the scare from the Packers, and now they don’t need to hear about their winless streak of not being able to overcome a three-point deficit in the fourth quarter. That record for Shanahan now stands at 1–31, and it might lead to a sixth Lombardi Trophy to end a 29-year drought for the prestigious franchise.

San Francisco is now well equipped to host a Detroit Lions squad that has just as many offensive weapons and an aggressive defense filled with playmakers. If the 49ers need another game-winning drive in Sunday’s NFC title game, they’re now experienced in that category.

Purdy went 6-of-7 for 47 yards on the 12-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown run from Christian McCaffrey to take a 24–21 lead with 1:07 left in regulation. Purdy also converted on third-and-5 with a 10-yard completion to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

The 49ers were far from perfect against the Packers, but did just enough to advance to the NFC championship game :: Dan Powers/USA TODAY Sports

Shanahan dialed up productive plays on the memorable drive after spending a sizable portion of the game adjusting without Samuel, who surely was supposed to be a big part of the game plan. Shanahan delivered in crunch time, making his poor game management before halftime an afterthought.

Here are other coaching decisions we liked and a few we didn’t like from the divisional round.

Calls we liked

Ravens’ run-pass options

The chemistry between Lamar Jackson and first-year Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken was on full display during Baltimore’s dominant victory against the Houston Texans.

Not only has Monken helped Jackson unlock another level of his passing game, he’s also using Jackson’s athleticism in a timely manner to confuse opposing defenses. Monken called two memorable run-pass options during a second-half drive that gave the Ravens a 14-point advantage.

First, Jackson got the Texans to bite on a run fake before taking off for a 14-yard run to the left side on fourth-and-1. A few plays later, the Texans assumed Jackson would run to his right, but stopped and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely early in the fourth quarter.

Jackson recorded two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, ran for 100 yards and had a passer rating over 100, becoming the first quarterback to do that in a single game since at least 1948, according to the Associated Press.

It’s safe to say the Monken-Jackson partnership has been a productive one.

Bucs’ screen pass TD to avoid blitz play

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came up short vs. the Lions, but they put up a fight with Baker Mayfield leading the charge.

Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales called for a screen pass to running back Rachaad White once he and Mayfield realized the Lions were going to send extra defenders on third-and-10. White took off for a 12-yard catch-and-run touchdown to tie the game at 17 with 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

Lions stay aggressive late in the game

Lions coach Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson gave the Buccaneers an extra opportunity to rally because they called passing plays for Jared Goff instead of killing the clock with running plays.

Goff had two incompletions and left two minutes on the clock for Mayfield to attempt a comeback with an eight-point deficit. But I can’t praise Campbell when this strategy works and criticize him when it doesn’t. The Lions were looking to move the chains to kill the clock, with hopes of not giving the ball back to Tampa Bay. That paid off the week before in the victory against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Lions stayed true to their identity, and it often led to positive results. But in the end, it didn’t cost them the game against the Buccaneers.

Calls we questioned

Bowles doesn’t give his team an extra chance

The Lions nearly gave the Buccaneers an extra opportunity, but coach Todd Bowles declined it, leading to much backlash on social media and from his fan base.

The Buccaneers had one timeout to stop the clock after Goff made the mistake of kneeling too soon on third down. That could have forced the Lions to attempt a lengthy field goal of about 50 yards or punt with 36 seconds left in regulation.

“They already had the field goal lined up, and there would’ve been about 12 seconds left on the clock to end the ball game,” Bowles explained after the game. “We weren’t going to come back from that.”

Bowles likely wanted to protect his players to avoid injuries in a game that probably would have still ended with them losing. But at least play out the options. The Lions could have missed the field goal, giving the Buccaneers the ball near midfield to attempt a few Hail Mary plays.

McDermott and the Bills made a critical mistake with a failed fake punt against the Chiefs :: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

Bills run fake punt-attempt with Hamlin

The Buffalo Bills attempted to catch the Kansas City Chiefs off guard after they noticed 10 men on the field for their punt return team.

Safety Damar Hamlin took a direct snap, but he was stopped short on the fourth-and-5 play, giving the Chiefs the ball on Buffalo’s 32-yard line in the fourth quarter.

I get that Bills coach Sean McDermott wanted to utilize the element of surprise, but not in your own territory with a three-point deficit in the fourth quarter of a playoff game.

Chiefs get too cute near the goal line

The Bills were let off the hook for the failed fake punt because Chiefs coach Andy Reid thought it would be a good idea to go away from his two productive running backs, Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, near the goal line.

Patrick Mahomes pitched it to wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr., who made the mistake of extending the ball before losing it in the end zone, making it a fumble recovery and a touchback for the Bills. It remained a three-point game with 12 minutes left in regulation.

That was one of many breaks the Bills had, but it still wasn’t enough for them to beat the Chiefs in the postseason.