49ers-Rams rivalry leads to NFC title game matchup
SANTA CLARA » Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay arrived in California five years ago, a pair of hot-shot young coaches with a shared history and similar offenses taking over struggling franchises.
Shanahan took the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl his third season, and he has them a game away from another trip this year only to have his former colleague on Washington’s staff, McVay, standing in the way.
McVay has had even more success, leading the Los Angeles Rams to a playoff berth his first season, a Super Bowl trip the following season and then back-to-back playoff berths the past two seasons, including a trip to the NFC championship game against Shanahan’s 49ers on Sunday.
The head-to-head battle has been far more one-sided, with the 49ers winning the past six meetings, leading to questions this week to McVay about whether his old friend has gotten into his head.
“No,” McVay said. “What I do have is respect for these guys. They’ve done a great job.”
Shanahan also downplayed the coach vs. coach aspect of the rivalry, preferring to focus on the players rather than the guys calling the plays.
Even if it seems like Shanahan has always had the right answer against the Rams these past three seasons even when he hasn’t had as talented a team.
“I think that’s kind of silly,” he said. “I think a question like that is just giving Sean and myself way too much credit. We’re coaches, like watch what’s going on that field and some of the players out there and the people that are competing. To think that it’s about Sean and I, I know he doesn’t feel that way and he knows I don’t feel that way. So the entertainment of this business is cool because it brings a lot of fans and brings a lot of money for everybody, but I think that’s kind of pretty ridiculous. I don’t give coaches that much credit.”
There has been plenty of entertainment even if the final results have been one sided in recent years.
The Niners knocked the Rams out of playoff contention with a comeback win in 2019 and then swept the season series last season despite going 6-10. They dominated the first game this season before rallying back from 17 points down to win the season finale in overtime to get into the playoffs.