49ers Dominate Cats

The broad smile on Kyle Shanahan’s face after the 49ers’ 51-13 victory over the Panthers on Sunday in Levi’s Stadium was genuine. When your team improves to 7-0 after finishing 6-10 and 4-12 in your first two seasons as head coach, you’re even more appreciative when success arrives, particularly when it is as complete and as dominant as it was against surging Carolina.

“This was the first game where we felt a team was coming in extremely confident,” Shanahan told NFL.com. “The Rams are a great team, but they had lost two in a row when we played them. The Panthers had won four in a row and were feeling kind of like we’ve been feeling the last few weeks. So we knew it would be a challenge for us. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy to make them feel any different. The way our guys came out and played from beginning to end — the score never mattered. They never let up. They’ve been that way all year, which is why I say we’ve got some special guys.”

Facing what they regarded as their first credible test, the 49ers played as if they had all the answers beforehand. In the first quarter alone they had 10 first downs and reached the end zone on two of their three possessions. Their 14 points were only three fewer than the season high the Panthers had allowed in an opening HALF this year, and their 27 points at the half were only three shy of the season-high allowed by Carolina for an entire game.

With just under 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, they were averaging 8.2 yards per play on offense while surrendering just 2.4 yards per snap to the Panthers. It was as thorough a start as a coach could ask, setting the stage for seven sacks and three interceptions on defense, with rookie end Nick Bosa accounting for three sacks and a pick, and the first four-touchdown afternoon for running back Tevin Coleman, who finished with 118 yards from scrimmage.

But as quickly as Shanahan delighted in the organization’s first 7-0 start since 1990, he turned the page to the next opponent: the Cardinals on Thursday night. As the son of a longtime NFL coach, he understands that managing success can be as challenging as coping with failure. His first year as offensive coordinator in Atlanta, in 2015, the Falcons started 5-0 but finished 8-8. It’s one reason he regularly preaches about the importance of staying humble and hungry, pointing out the scarcity of dynasties has as much to do with an inability to mentally lock in each week as it does with a lack of talent.

If he needed another log for his motivational fire, he got it Sunday from Panthers end Bruce Irvin, who when asked afterward just how good San Francisco is, he responded: “They’re OK. They’re OK. They’re not world-beaters.”

“We’ll take that,” said Shanahan, who is receptive to anything that keeps his players grounded.