No. 1: 49ers Must Win the Super Bowl
While their window to do so might be open for a while, the 49ers’ primary goal for the upcoming season is quite simple: win the Super Bowl.
San Francisco’s meltdown late in Super Bowl LIV created another dark chapter for Kyle Shanahan, adding to the reputation, fair or not, he created for himself back with the Falcons in Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots, which saw Atlanta squander a 28-3 lead.
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Shanahan doesn’t bear all the blame for either Super Bowl loss. He didn’t give up that now-infamous 3rd-and-15 completion to Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, nor did he get burned in coverage by fellow Kansas City wideout Sammy Watkins. Shanahan drew up plays for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to continue the clock moving and even retaking the lead in the fourth quarter, but Garoppolo missed George Kittle and wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Emmanuel Sanders.
Still, Shanahan’s clock management and game planning late in crucial situations weren’t at their bests late in the Super Bowl, and there’s only going to be one thing to correct that reputation, deserved or otherwise: winning the big game.
Shanahan has time to learn from this, particularly the ever-true worry whether or not his team can bounce back from the proverbial Super Bowl “hangover.”
Doing so would be the ultimate goal, and it’s within reach. It’s just up to Shanahan how good those chances will be in 2020.