Beat writer rants: 49ers need to move on from Kyle Shanahan

Fans took to social media to share their frustrations after the San Francisco 49ers squandered another double-digit lead to an NFC West opponent. The latest collapse occurred on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, where the 49ers led by 13 points in the second half only to see the visiting team mount a comeback and win 24-23.

Markus Boucher of Bay Area radio station KNBR's morning show emphasized that much of the blame falls on Kyle Shanahan's shoulders, noting that the head coach continues to blow leads, even with different defensive coordinators on his staff.

"So it seems like there's one common theme, and it's Kyle Shanahan not being able to close it out in the fourth quarter," Boucher said on Monday morning, "which is crazy because this is a narrative that we've been talking about for years now, and it's a narrative that he's never going to shake until he wins the Super Bowl, to be completely honest with you."

Boucher added that it's surprising that a coach known for being innovative and intelligent can't overcome the team's red-zone struggles in these recent collapses—especially with the talent at his disposal.

Speaking to reporters during a Monday conference call, Shanahan admitted the 49ers need to finish games when they hold a lead.

"In these two division games that we believe we should have won with the lead we had in the second half, I thought this one was worse than the Rams one in terms of we got sloppier, in terms of our turnovers and things like that, not scoring in the second half," Shanahan said. "When you have a lead on people, you need to finish them. The way you finish people is you continue to score. And if you aren't doing that, you can't turn it over, and you've got to stop people at the end.

"We had a couple chances there at the end, especially on that fourth down, but [QB] Kyler [Murray] made a hell of a play. But those are the plays you've got to stop to win these, especially when it's tight like that."

One 49ers beat writer went on a post-game rant, calling for a change in Santa Clara. It probably won't surprise you who it was, but given the social media backlash after the embarrassing defeat, one thing is clear: he isn't alone in his opinion.

"Stop me if you've heard this one before," Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated stated on Sunday. "This is how Kyle Shanahan always blows 10-point fourth-quarter leads. He stops running the ball."

Cohn contends that Shanahan prioritizes an explosive offense over allowing a strong rushing attack to control the game's outcome. While running back Jordan Mason had a costly fumble late in the game, he averaged an impressive 6.4 yards per carry.

"That's why he's (Shanahan) a fraud," Cohn continued. "He has been blowing fourth-quarter leads since 2017, when he was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons. Blowing fourth-quarter leads is his specialty, his destiny. It's time to trade this choke artist before he coughs away another win to an inferior team. No coach does less with more than Shanahan. That's his legacy. Get him out of here."

Cohn is a controversial figure among the 49ers fanbase and has been publicly called out by former players like defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw. Recently, current fullback Kyle Juszczyk called him out, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel declined to answer one of his questions in the locker room.

Nevertheless, some fans shared similar frustrations with Shanahan's game management in Sunday's defeat, as evidenced by these social media posts:

It's worth noting that the 49ers have enjoyed considerable success under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, appearing in four NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls over the past four seasons. The team has also shown resilience in the past, bouncing back from challenges like last season's three-game losing streak. However, these late-game collapses may now be testing the fanbase's patience.

What are your thoughts on Shanahan and how the 49ers' season has unfolded so far? Leave a comment below.