The San Francisco 49ers are 5-6 after a brutal loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 12. With the playoffs slipping away, rumors have circulated that Kyle Shanahan may be on the hot seat. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel went on his podcast and defended Shanahan by citing past successful seasons.
“Super Bowl… NFC Championship. Year after that: NFC Championship again. Last year: Super Bowl… Why are you saying he's on the hot seat?”
Samuel cites the great 49ers teams of the last three years as a reason why Shanahan should not be fired. While they have not clinched their seventh championship, they've been very close. The Chiefs have clipped them twice, the Rams got them once, and the Eagles beat them in 2022.
This season has been a disastrous campaign for the 49ers, filled with injuries and brutal losses. The Rams pulled off an incredible comeback and the Cardinals clipped them in the fourth quarter. Brandon Aiyuk's torn ACL is the biggest injury but almost every key offensive player has missed time.
That includes Samuel, who has not played a full season since 2021. Their offense has not clicked because of all the missed time and it has cost them multiple wins. Can they turn this around and save Shanahan's job?
How can the 49ers turn their season around?
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The good news for the 49ers is that no one is running away with the NFC West. They are only one game back of the Seahawks and Cardinals who are tied for first. While they have lost games to both of those teams, they can still eclipse them in the standings with a few wins. The bad news is that their schedule is about to get much harder.
It starts this week with a road primetime game against the Bills. Buffalo beat the Chiefs two weeks ago and will be fresh off the bye. When they prepare for the game against the Niners, they will see how Josh Jacobs dominated their defense. James Cook should have plenty of room to run. If Kyle Shanahan can get the defense prepared for the run game, he can get off the hot seat.
The 49ers have had a ton of success with Shanahan as the coach. This year has been disastrous for the team and coach but the hot seat card should not be played. Teams would flock to hire him if he were to be fired, which should show the Niners that they have a great coach.
