The 49ers have been elite under Kyle Shanahan - during one month of the regular season.
San Francisco improved to 7-1 in December since Shanahan became head coach in 2017 with its 26-23 overtime victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. That statistic seems particularly strange considering the team is 3-13 from September through November.
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence or a small sample size creating an abnormal record. Or maybe teams have been taking the 49ers lightly because they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention for the majority of those December games. Or playing games of little consequence has allowed San Francisco’s young roster to play free, easy and with more confidence, leading to better results.