What do you tell a team after a blowout playoff loss to a division rival? San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan faced that question following his team's humbling Divisional Round defeat against the Seattle Seahawks.
Plagued by injuries throughout the season, the 49ers were never able to match a healthy, well-rested Seahawks team on Saturday night. Still, San Francisco's path to the postseason was notable. Despite missing several key contributors for extended stretches, the 49ers earned 12 wins, reached the playoffs, and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles to advance to face the NFC's top seed.
After the loss, Shanahan was asked what message he delivered to his team in the locker room.
"We're obviously real disappointed with today," Shanahan said. "We obviously didn't have it today—credit to them. Try not to harp on that. We can discuss some of that stuff on Monday, when we get back together, but I just thanked them for the whole season, how much they battled through everything.
"I know everyone in there was sick about tonight, and the way that went in every facet, but I tried not to make it about tonight when I was in there with them. Just kind of thanked them for what they've done all year and been extremely, extremely proud of everyone in that room throughout this year."
The 49ers' resilience defined their season. Injuries derailed much of their continuity, yet San Francisco still positioned itself for a postseason run—something few teams could have managed under similar circumstances.
Shanahan will find time to reflect on his team's success in the coming weeks.
"I'll process that a lot tonight, I'll do it a lot tomorrow, I'll do it over the next month," Shanahan said. "You think about the season, always, throughout the offseason. Tonight's a little hard. I tried to articulate that to the guys, so we didn't get caught up so much tonight.
"Like I said earlier, I'm very proud of a lot of guys in there, and we're extremely disappointed right now, but that doesn't take away from how I feel about the guys in there."
Comments