Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Crowd noise nearly caused a disaster on 4th-and-2 play during 49ers-Saints, says Kyle Shanahan
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, even with a strong contingent of the Niner Faithful in the stadium, was a troublesome environment for the San Francisco 49ers. That was evident during the 4th-and-2 play that eventually saw quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo hit
George Kittle, followed by the tight end fighting and pulling defenders (one from his face mask) for a 39-yard gain. It was capped off by a 15-yard penalty.
The drive concluded with Robbie Gould kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired to lift the 49ers to a 48-46 victory and an 11-2 record.
That fourth-down play almost looked very different, though, and may not have had such a positive result if not for a quick timeout called by head coach Kyle Shanahan before the ball was snapped. The play call that Garoppolo heard and the one that Shanahan sent into the huddle didn't match, and that was because of the crowd noise.
"The thing that impressed me the most was how [Garoppolo] handled the noise," Shanahan told reporters on Monday as he started to explain what happened on that play. "I've been in that stadium a lot, but it was louder than usual to me. You never can hear at the line, but it was very hard for him to hear in the huddle. That's why we had to call a timeout on that 4th-and-2.
"I called a play that had '14' in it, but it sounded a heck of a lot like '15.' ... You just couldn't hear it. So that stuff was happening a lot, and for him to just still keep his poise, and try to fix things a lot in the game, he kept our guys pretty cool the whole time."
Shanahan confirmed that the difference between '14' and '15' in the play call could have led to an offensive disaster.
"Wrist band No. 15 is a lot different than wrist band No. 14," Shanahan explained. "And you don't really know until they line up there, and it's a pretty big time in the game, and you're also trying to save your timeouts, too. ... I didn't know exactly what [Garoppolo] missed because I didn't know what '15' looked like at the time, but I knew it didn't look like '14' when they lined up.
"Fortunately, we had a timeout, and we [used] it. And then, fortunately, the next play was a good play."
The 49ers may not have to worry about the Superdome noise again this year. With the win, San Francisco will most likely host any 49ers-Saints playoff rematch, should the two teams meet again, at Levi's Stadium.
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Breaking down the 49ers drafts under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan
We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers have their first day-one draft pick since 2021. That was the year they selected QB Trey Lance number three overall. The trade-up to get Lance cost the 49ers their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. And now that they are back in the first round, at pick 31, fans are anxious to see what the team does with the pick. And with former assistant GM, Adam Peters, now in Washington, it will be interesting to see how well the 49ers draft without Peters in the room.
We looked back at the seven drafts GM John Lynch and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan have led to see what information we could pull from those drafts. There were plenty of hits, plenty of misses, and a few surprises along the way. The draft picks are
Brock Purdy hopes Kyle Shanahan makes addition to 49ers playbook
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
Malachi Corley welcomes opportunity to play with 49ers WRs
Malachi Corley has been likened to versatile San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel. What does Corley, the former Western Kentucky wide receiver, think about the prospect of joining Samuel and the rest of the 49ers' receiving corps?
It's a possibility. Corley is expected to be drafted in the second or third round this week and recently visited the team in Santa Clara. Could it be the 49ers calling his name?
"Put me out there with Deebo," Corley recently told Kay Adams on the "Up and Adams" show. "Deebo, left, Malachi, right, [Brandon] Aiyuk, [Christian] McCaffrey down the middle."
While 49ers fans hope to see Aiyuk remain with the team, negotiations for
Silver: New 49ers intel reveals potential Brandon Aiyuk trade still in play
When asked about the possibility of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk not being on the San Francisco 49ers roster on Friday morning, general manager John Lynch responded, "I wouldn't anticipate that."
Lynch assured reporters that signing Aiyuk to a long-term extension is a priority, stating, "And our wish is that he's here and a part of the Niners for the rest of his career. We're working through that."
While Lynch didn't elaborate on the conversations occurring behind closed doors, Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that a potential trade remains a
