Kyle Shanahan could return to the Super Bowl if the San Francisco 49ers maintain their explosive start to the 2026 season, but a former NFC star isn't convinced the head coach will earn his first ring. Shanahan was the Atlanta Falcons' offensive coordinator during Roddy White's 11th and final season with the organization in 2015. The former All-Pro wide receiver answered bluntly when FanDuel TV host Kay Adams asked if Shanahan would ever win a Super Bowl.
Adams noted that the 6-0 49ers are undefeated, and Shanahan has made the Super Bowl twice as a head coach. However, White still needs to see San Francisco finish strong. "Yeah, but they start like this every year," White claimed.
"That team starts very fast every year. The only time they haven't started fast is when they had everybody hurt, and this year they're still managing to get people hurt, but they're off to a good start." White questioned Shanahan's ability to make the right choices in high-stakes moments. It's hardly a new criticism, as the Falcons squandered a 28-3 lead in a gutting Super Bowl collapse against the New England Patriots a year after White left the team.
The 49ers also led during the fourth quarter of both Super Bowl losses to the Kansas City Chiefs. "He's a great offensive mind," White said of Shanahan. "But in tough situations, in pressure situations, the over-aggressive play calls always get him in trouble.
And I think that's just his mentality. He doesn't play situational football well. That's the only thing that I think that's really a knock on his game. ...
That's what gets his team in trouble when you play against great quarterbacks. And when you make it to the Super Bowl, you're going to be playing against a great quarterback." While Patrick Mahomes wouldn't let the Chiefs lose their big games against the 49ers, White suggested that Shanahan makes things harder for his players in crunch time. "Kyle always thinks about 'I have to win the game.
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