George Kittle, Brock Purdy Hype 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan for 'Evolving' amid NFL Super Bowl Push

With the San Francisco 49ers one win away from their fifth NFC Championship Game appearance in the last seven seasons, head coach Kyle Shanahan has received high praise from many of his star players for how he is operating differently in 2025.

Speaking to ESPN's Nick Wagoner, George Kittle lauded Shanahan for "evolving" in his ninth season with the Niners.

"We're in and out of a team meeting now in 15-20 minutes," Kittle said. "And I've never experienced that since he's been doing the film stuff since 2019. He's evolving and just adapting with the times, and it's just kind of fun to see that."

Brock Purdy, who is in his fourth season with the 49ers, told Wagoner that Shanahan is a "Hall of Fame coach" because of his ability to put the team in a position to win even with a roster that has been plagued by injuries:

"Every single week he goes all in and gives everything he's got for this team, this organization, to make sure we're put in the right positions, and to go out and have a chance. Anytime we step out on the field with him as our playcaller, we're always going to have a chance."

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Even though the 49ers were one of the most dominant teams in the NFL from 2019 to '23, with two Super Bowl appearances during that period, their success this season might be Shanahan's masterpiece.

Purdy, Kittle and Ricky Pearsall combined to miss 22 games during the regular season. Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, who were supposed to be the anchors of a defense that was rebuilding with a lot of rookies and second-year players, only played a combined nine games due to injuries.

"If you were to tell somebody after Week 4 that we were going to be 12-5 and in the playoffs, and have one of the best records in football, people would have laughed at us," Christian McCaffrey said to Wagoner.

The injury issues didn't stop once the 49ers got to the playoffs. Pearsall missed the NFC Wild Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles due to knee and ankle injuries. Kittle tore his Achilles in the second quarter of the game.

Despite all of the adversity, the 49ers were able to prevail with a 23-19 win in Philadelphia to eliminate the defending Super Bowl champs.

Things won't get easier for Shanahan and the Niners in the divisional round. They will take on their division rival Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Saturday with a spot in the NFC Championship Game on the line.

These two teams met in San Francisco in Week 18, with the Seahawks earning a 13-3 win that secured the NFC West title and No. 1 seed in the postseason. The three points for the 49ers were their fewest in a game since Shanahan's debut as head coach in September 2017.