The San Francisco 49ers are trying to do the near-impossible: go from Super Bowl runners-up to Super Bowl champions.
Though the 1970 Dallas Cowboys, 1971 Miami Dolphins, and 2017 New England Patriots accomplished the feat, the 49ers must overcome the Super Bowl hangover that is sure to permeate the squad following their 25-22 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
Despite returning most of the roster from an NFC championship squad, the 49ers must overcome long odds to emerge as the last team standing at the end of the 2024 season. From finding a way to play their best ball down the stretch, to avoiding the injury bug stinging key players, to maintaining a championship focus throughout the grind of the regular season, Kyle Shanahan must help his squad navigate a windy road that will test the mental and physical toughness of both the coaching staff and the 53-man roster.
The players must absorb the lessons from previous playoff failures without allowing the losses to become an albatross around their necks. Shanahan, in particular, cannot attempt to erase the Super Bowl loss throughout the regular season. The brilliant tactician must resist the temptation to completely revamp his offensive approach to prove to his skeptics that he has learned from his big-stage failure.
While evolution is needed to thrive in the NFL consistently, the 49ers’ sustained success under Shanahan with Brock Purdy at the helm (the QB is 17-4 as a starter in the regular season) should bolster his confidence in his scheme and game planning. Moreover, the franchise quarterback’s performance and production as a two-year starter should make it easy for the 49ers to run it back without major changes to the system.
That said, league rivals have spent the offseason poring over the game tapes from the 49ers’ previous season to see which tactics and schemes gave them the most problems. In addition, they have compiled comprehensive individual scouting reports to develop personalized…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/how-49ers-can-guard-against-the-classic-super-bowl-hangover
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Publish date : 2024-09-06 19:10:59
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