Cowboys Embarrassed (Again) During Kyle Shanahan's 49ers vs. Packers Playoff Press Conference

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan added insult to the Dallas Cowboys' injury after discussing his preparation during the Wild Card Round.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is the mad professor of the league’s fastest-spreading offense. His wide zone scheme has become a problem for defensive coordinators across the country.

Few know this struggle more than Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. His Cowboys, despite dominating teams with lesser quarterbacks, have continued to fall short against better teams – especially those from the Shanahan coaching tree.

Nov 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan (left) greets cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (right) before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi's Stadium / © Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Per John Owning, Dallas has given up 0.045 expected points added per play against the branches of this tree since Quinn took over in 2021. Against everyone else, that number falls to a much more promising mark of -0.094. That’s to say this wide zone offense has given an otherwise strong defense lots of trouble.

Of course, the nation witnessed this on Sunday, when the seventh-seed Green Bay Packers came into AT&T Stadium and sent Cowboys fans home early, winning 48-32. Down 27-7 at halftime, Dallas played itself into job security questions and the scrutiny of the football world.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, one of the most successful coaches on Shanahan’s tree, ran circles around Quinn’s defense, becoming the first seven-seed to win a playoff game.

Shanahan then added insult to injury on Tuesday as he prepared for Green Bay.

“We were already in here, so we were already [preparing] that day. We had mixed in a little bit earlier in the week, hitting up a couple teams,” Shanahan said. “But started really focusing on them halfway through the second quarter. Then they scored at the end of the second quarter so I kind of did both at halftime and then the third quarter was set on one team.”

Whether it be out of contempt for his former boss in Atlanta (Quinn), a support of his protégé (LaFleur), or just an observation on the flow of the game, social media took notice.

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The Cowboys, once again, played into their self-fulfilling prophecy, becoming fodder for the rest of the league’s jokes. It is yet to be seen whether Sunday’s stinker will bring about change, but Dallas didn’t do itself any favors over the weekend.

Jerry Jones and the braintrust that surrounds him must decide what must materially change to get over the hump. The 49ers aren’t just beating the Cowboys. They’re laughing at them as they prepare to face a team that proved itself to be superior.