Shanahan Faces Familiar Foe in Cardinals' LaFleur as 49ers Navigate NFC West

The San Francisco 49ers' quest to reclaim the NFC West title faces a familiar challenge: navigating offenses heavily influenced by their own head coach, Kyle Shanahan.

This season, the 49ers will encounter the offensive schemes of former Shanahan assistants multiple times in their division. In Seattle, Brian Fleury, a former 49ers assistant, is calling plays for an offense installed by Klint Kubiak, another product of Shanahan's coaching tree. This Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals, led by head coach Mike LaFleur, will bring a system to Levi's Stadium that should look notably familiar.

LaFleur, who previously served as the 49ers' passing game coordinator from 2017 to 2020, was hired by the Cardinals after their 3-14 season last year. His offense made an early impact, gaining nearly 400 yards in a Week 1 victory over the Chargers. However, they struggled against the Seahawks' defense in Week 2, managing only 151 total yards in a 31-7 loss.

Shanahan, in his 10th season with the 49ers, is set to match Bill Walsh's franchise record of 166 regular-season and playoff games coached. He acknowledged a mix of pride and irritation at seeing his coaching tree flourish throughout the league, especially when it means facing former colleagues twice a year.

"Deep down probably yeah, and eventually," Shanahan said when asked about taking pride in his former assistants' success. "But, it’s more irritation, especially when you have to run into them twice a year."

The offensive system employed by Shanahan is rooted in Bill Walsh's West Coast offense, a scheme passed down through generations of coaches. Shanahan himself studied Walsh's tapes to learn the system his father, Mike Shanahan, had also adopted.

While the underlying principles might be similar, 49ers players suggest the evolution of Shanahan's offense makes it distinct from what former assistants might initially implement. "Everything’s so different now. All of our motions, gaps. How we structure plays – everything’s so different," said tight end George Kittle. "Kyle’s offense has grown so much and changed so much that I think a lot of these guys haven’t seen what he’s done the last couple of years."

LaFleur spent recent years with the Rams, running Sean McVay's offense. Now, he faces the 49ers' defense, coordinated by Raheem Morris, who was on the Rams' staff. Shanahan noted the Cardinals' style is schematically similar to the Rams but emphasized their toughness and competitiveness.

"I thought the game last week was a lot closer than the score indicated," Shanahan commented on the Cardinals' loss to Seattle. "Just the style of offense they’re doing, it’s similar schematically to the Rams, but they’re blocking hard, they’re running hard, guys are really competing. … They have a lot more talent than people give them credit for and I know Mike’s going to have them ready to go."

With the NFC West featuring closely matched teams like the 49ers, Seahawks, and Rams, any divisional game against a less-favored opponent like the Cardinals could have significant implications for the standings. The 49ers aim to avoid an upset as they face LaFleur, who is motivated to outperform his former mentor.