How Kyle Shanahan is Failing the 49ers' Offense

The 49ers' offense has been underperforming all season long with head coach Kyle Shanahan being one of the main culprits for it.

Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on the sideline during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Disappointing, underwhelming, and questionable. Those are a few words to use to describe the San Francisco 49ers' offense.

It hasn't been anywhere close to what it was last season. Not having Christian McCaffrey hurts, but the 49ers still have plenty of talent to operate at a high level. One person on the team who is the main culprit for the offense's current state is head coach Kyle Shanahan. He is failing the 49ers' offense. He is the one calling the plays and controlling the personnel.

There are plenty are areas to question Shanahan on, but the main focus here is the passing game. That is an area that has never been a strength of Shanahan's. And yet, the 49ers are leaning on the pass more than the run this year. It's unusual to see. Perhaps it is because Shanahan is confident in calling more pass plays since he has Brock Purdy. Still, he hasn't been making it easy on Purdy.

Purdy leads the league in tight-window throws. It's a result of the 49ers having the worst average separation per target. Now, that can partly be blamed on Purdy for forcing throws to receivers who aren't open. But a way to cut that back is by giving him easy completions that Shanahan used to dial up at will. What happened to those easy throws? What happened to scheming players open?

If Purdy is forcing throws into tight windows, then change that. Create something easy for him so he can find the open receiver and get Purdy into rhythm. I think that is what Purdy has been missing all season. He doesn't have the rhythm or momentum to keep him going throughout the game. That is why you see him holding onto the ball for so long. He's looking for the shots deep or intermediate to create it. He leads the league in throwing to intermediate routes or past the sticks.

As commendable as that is, it isn't a sustainable formula for a high-level offense. If those throws aren't there, Purdy will scramble to buy time or take off as a runner. It's a mix of him trying to do too much and not receiving the greatest help from Shanahan. There aren't easy throws for him to make anywhere, especially in short areas. That is why the 49ers aren't generating the yards after catch plays they've been elite at for years.

According to Next Gen Stats, the 49ers have generated just 4.4 yards after the catch per reception this season, the second-fewest in the league. Yards after the catch have accounted for only 33.3 percent of the 49ers passing yards in 2024, the lowest rate in the NFL. The 49ers have recorded just one explosive play on a target behind the line of scrimmage this season after generating the third-most from 2018 to 2023 (70).

The 49ers have had no issue generating YAC since 2018. Yet, this year, they suddenly don't know how to be efficient at it. That's an issue directly aimed at Shanahan. The easy plays behind, at, or within five yards of the line of scrimmage are not there. He has to build up the offense, and doing that starts with building up Purdy. Otherwise, they get the version of Purdy against the Chiefs.

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