Kyle Shanahan forgets that the Week 17 win over the Seattle Seahawks wasn't a playoff game. It sure felt like one to the head coach. In fact, to Shanahan, that whole six-game stretch to end the season felt like a playoff run.
The San Francisco 49ers have played in their fair share of big games this season. They have won in hostile environments like CenturyLink Field and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. On Saturday, the team will be home at Levi's Stadium, which will host the first-ever 49ers playoff game in its history.
Saturday will also be quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's first playoff start. That's one of the reasons many national "experts" are hesitant to predict a 49ers win, even though Garoppolo has been part of three playoff runs with the New England Patriots, albeit while watching from the sidelines.
The 49ers' head coach doesn't sound too concerned.
"I feel like our team is battle-tested," Shanahan told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area on the latest 49ers Insider Podcast. "I feel like Jimmy's been battle-tested. He's been around a lot of big-time situations in New England, and this year, he's been in some big-time games. Just his personality, and the way his makeup is, I feel pretty confident Jimmy's going to have a hell of a game regardless of what happens."
On the other side of the field will be what could have been. It's no secret that Shanahan is fond of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. The two were together in Washington, and a Cousins-to-49ers situation was always the long-term plan when Shanahan took the job in San Francisco.
Then came a phone call game from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and Garoppolo fell into Shanahan and the 49ers' laps.
Maiocco asked Shanahan if he feels both Garoppolo and Cousins are Super Bowl-caliber quarterbacks.
"Definitely," Shanahan responded. "Everyone's going to put it all on the quarterback. Can they do it completely on their own? No, but I can't name you any quarterback who can do it completely on his own. But when you can get guys who can get in that club of where I put about 10 guys, they are extremely effective.
"Now, you've got to have a good scheme around them. All quarterbacks need a good defense. Not many quarterbacks are going to go win Super Bowls just because they have the best offense. You can go look at the Rams and things like that. The years they won, they had good defense. When Peyton (Manning) won, he had a good defense.
"All that stuff goes hand and hand. The problem with the quarterbacks is they're only judged of whether they win or lose. But it has to do more with their team, as long as they're one of those 10 guys."
You can listen to the entire interview with Shanahan below. The conversation begins at about the 15:15 mark.