Kyle Shanahan, Fred Warner deliver subtle slaps to Cowboys after embarrassing playoff loss to Packers
By Peter Panacy
While he didn't throw a jab at the Cowboys outright, Kyle Shanahan and Fred Warner's comments about the 49ers' preparation surely slighted Dallas.
The San Francisco 49ers were going to have a sizable advantage over whichever team they faced in divisional round of the NFL playoffs simply because of the fact they enjoyed a first-round bye because of securing the No. 1 seed in the conference.
While idle from being on the field, head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. were not idle in their game preparations.
About the only wonder, though, was which team Shanahan and the Niners would have to prepare for.
Turns out, the Green Bay Packers (and Dallas Cowboys) made that easy for the head coach and his staff.
Kyle Shanahan and Fred Warner politely slam Cowboys for uninspiring loss to Packers
Green Bay, the seventh seed in the NFC, will advance to play San Francisco in the divisional round after smashing Dallas 48-32 at AT&T Stadium.
The No. 2 seed Cowboys are going home after yet another one-and-done playoff performance.
Speaking to reporters after Wild Card weekend, linebacker Fred Warner previewed the upcoming matchup while also casually tossing some strays in the direction of Dallas.
"It's gonna be a huge test for us this weekend," Warner said. "I'm not taking the Packers lightly. The Cowboys must've taken the Packers lightly."
Ouch.
Shanahan was slightly more subtle, but even he didn't hesitate to drop a quick jab at the Cowboys, a team his 49ers eliminated from the playoffs in back-to-back years before Green Bay did it.
"We started really focusing on the [Packers] halfway through the second quarter [versus the Cowboys]," Shanahan said, alluding to the fact it was 27-7 at halftime. "Then [Dallas] scored at the end of the second quarter, so I kind of did both at halftime. And then, third quarter, I was set on one team."
“Started really focusing on them halfway through the second quarter.”
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 16, 2024
Kyle Shanahan on when the Packers prep began as Cowboys were down big on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/y9YJcWBpyi
Related story: Cowboys, Rams losses in NFL playoffs give 49ers another 'LOL' moment
The smirk from Shanahan is confirmation that his comments are intentionally taking a small jab at the Cowboys.
Perhaps Dallas would take exception to both Warner and Shanahan's comments, but the better option would have been to play Green Bay harder.
Instead, it'll be the Niners moving on automatically to the divisional round, while the Cowboys will be out playing golf this upcoming weekend.
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