Kyle Shanahan is the pre-eminent offensive mind of his generation, his offense and his acolytes have proliferated around the league, with his scheme dominating the modern day NFL. In 2023, his San Francisco 49ers offense was by far the best in football. And yet he still does not have a Super Bowl ring, and he is still not regarded as the best head coach in the game.
Pro Football Focus recently released its rankings of the top 10 head coaches in the NFL, with Shanahan's position illustrating the challenge he and the 49ers face in 2024. Shanahan sits in second behind only Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs, who in February's Super Bowl got the better of the 49ers for the second time in five seasons. Reid and Shanahan exist on the same plane as offensive minds.
Prior to Shanahan's ascent through the coaching ranks, Reid was arguably the foremost offensive mind in the league and still stands as one of the best in the game in that regard, with his capacity for innovation for keeping the Chiefs at the top of the mountain. And, each time he has faced Shanahan as a head coach, he has prevailed. Reid is 4-0 against Shanahan across two regular-season meetings and the two Super Bowl clashes.
The two regular-season wins were blowouts, while the two Super Bowls saw the Chiefs pull off comebacks to prevail in dramatic fashion. Reid, of course, had the benefit of having Patrick Mahomes on his side to orchestrate those comebacks, while defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has arguably play.
