The San Francisco 49ers shocked everyone, from the sportsbooks to many of their fans, by winning their Thursday Night Football matchup over the Los Angeles Rams.
But it wasn't just that they won, but that the Niners often looked like the better team, especially during the first half.
This is most shocking because of the long list of players the 49ers were missing for the NFC West showdown, including edge rusher Nick Bosa, who is on IR with an ACL tear, tight end George Kittle, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, and starting quarterback Brock Purdy.
There was no reason to believe San Francisco would stay in the game, let alone win it, and yet head coach Kyle Shanahan had his team ready to take on his friend Sean McVay's Rams, continuing the Niners' great run against the Rams coming off a loss during Shanahan's tenure.
The victory should fully plant Shanahan into the conversation for NFL Coach of the Year, an award he's never won in eight years as the Niners' head coach. The seasons where it made most sense, when he took the 49ers from worst-to-the-Super-Bowl in 2019, a similar rise in 2021, and 2022, when he used three quarterbacks to get to the NFC Championship game, the award was given to other coaches.
It's a conversation that's growing louder, too, including Kay Adams of the Up & Adams Show:
If Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers keep this up... how do you NOT give him Coach of the Year?? @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/0IDAJG8hvL
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 3, 2025
But performances like the one San Francisco put up on Thursday night should catapult him to the top of the list, given all the injuries it entered the game with, and even more that were ticked onto the list during the contest.
The case rises even more so when you look at the offensive numbers Shanahan's group put up against a top Rams defense. Quarterback Mac Jones finished 33-of-49 for 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns, leading the offense on the game-winning drive in overtime while dealing with cramps from the brace on his left knee.
Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who just arrived from off the street a few weeks ago, had the best game of his career, hauling in 10 receptions for 142 yards, while running back Christian McCaffrey caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
McCaffrey's success was no great shock, but for Shanahan to get that out of Bourne, or seven catches and a touchdown from tight end Jake Tonges is a feat of great coaching. Sure, it's not Shanahan all on his own, but in the end, he's the captain of the ship and everything stops with him.
Detractors could point to the 49ers' last-place schedule as a reason that Shanahan should not be awarded, but this particular award often goes to a coach who went from worst-to-first, so that should get out the window.
It's still a long season, with 12 games to play, but if Shanahan keeps this up, he should be the hands-down favorite to win Coach of the Year for 2025.