Turning Point: Kyle Shanahan Emphasizes 49ers’ Need for 4th-Quarter Closers

Not long ago, the San Francisco 49ers were considered Super Bowl favorites. As they prepare for Week 12 with challenging road matchups against the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills ahead, those expectations have drastically shifted.

However, the division-leading Arizona Cardinals hold just a slim one-game advantage at 6-4, keeping the playoff race within reach. To stay in contention, though, the 49ers must solve one glaring issue: finishing games. This season, the team has lost three games in which they held fourth-quarter leads of four or more points—all against division rivals. That includes Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

During Wednesday’s press conference, head coach Kyle Shanahan reflected on the team’s struggles in tight games. He pointed out that the team has played four games that have come down to the last two drives and only won one, noting that it’s the difference between 5-5 and 8-2 records.

While quarterback Brock Purdy is on pace to surpass the single-season franchise passing record of 4,280 yards he set last year, the team’s middling record overshadows his individual achievements.

“I think Brock’s doing a lot of good things,” Shanahan said. “But we’re all going to be judged on winning games, and that’s why our team’s got to find a better way to win it there in the fourth, so we can get our record right.”

Tight end George Kittle didn’t hold back about the frustration stemming from the 49ers’ late-game collapses this season.

“You have the win right there, and then either you don’t do something on offense to pull away or your defense doesn’t finish it out,” Kittle said. “And so, that is frustrating. Losing our third divisional game, that’s frustrating as well.”

Defensive end Nick Bosa added, “I think we understand the task ahead, and we understand that we have to finish games. We’ve come very close in most of our losses, and we’re probably three or four plays away from being an 8-2 team, which is easy to say. But it just shows that if we could play better football throughout the game, then we’re as good as anybody, and we believe that. So, it’s just a matter of finishing in the fourth quarter.”

Shanahan insists that Purdy, who burst onto the scene during his rookie campaign in 2022, has continued to perform at a high level despite the team’s inconsistencies. However, injuries and on-field miscues have made this season uniquely challenging.

“I think there’s different circumstances around him,” Shanahan said. “Our team hasn’t been quite as good through this, but it’s been close to getting there. And close doesn’t matter. That’s why we’re 5-5. But a couple of plays here and there, and I think we’re looking at it totally differently, and that’s why we’ve put ourselves in the hole, and that’s why we’ve made it a lot harder for ourselves here at this back half.”

Looking ahead, Shanahan stressed the importance of closing out games, especially with seven matchups left in the regular season.

“I still think it’s going to come down to the same stuff,” Shanahan concluded. “I bet these next seven games come down to the fourth quarter, and we either get it done or we don’t. We’ve got to find a way to get it done.”