Every now and then, you have to sit back and admire the football genius of Kyle Shanahan. Watching how the San Francisco 49ers head coach attacked the weaknesses of the Green Bay Packers defense in the NFC Championship Game and not let up was a thing of beauty, even if you aren't a 49ers fan.
Then you have those moments when you think Shanahan might be able to predict the future, too. There was a moment like that with 5:56 left in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 37-20 victory over the Packers. Shanahan was talking to an official before the ball is snapped, explaining the play he drew up and alerting him to keep an eye on defensive back Will Redmond — coincidentally, a former third-round pick by the Niners — going against George Kittle.
"[Kittle's] going to go inside and break out," Shanahan told the official. "[Redmond] won't let him out, watch."
The play happened just as Shanahan predicted, and the official — plus another — threw his flag for defensive pass interference.
You will hear all week about how good Andy Reid is with extra time to prepare and best HC to have never won a SB but can he see the plays coming before they even happen like Kyle Shanahan? #49wz pic.twitter.com/AZsZWYoJPM
— Winston Chung (@dubcmd) January 22, 2020
The 49ers ended up scoring a field goal on the drive. It would be the last bit of scoring in the game by either team and seal the win for San Francisco.
H/t to Winston Chung for the find.