49ers Kyle Shanahan Says He Got Tired of Calling Plays Versus Giants

Talk about adding insult to injury.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted after his team destroyed the Giants 36-9 at MetLife Stadium that he was actually getting tired of calling plays on offense given how long the 49ers managed to retain possession of the ball.

“We went on a lot of long drives today,” Shanahan said after the game. “They’re better than not scoring but long drives can get a little bit exhausting, especially for me. I don’t want to call that many plays.”

Shanahan, who praised backup quarterback Nick Mullens for holding up well in his first starting assignment this season, was speaking tongue in cheek, but for the Giants, losing the time of possession battle and the game by such a lopsided score hurt.  

Against the Giants, the 49ers achieved its highest offensive output of the season, and the crown-jewel stat for the 49ers was a whopping 39:44 to 20:16 time-of-possession advantage, which worked out for 74 offensive plays for the 49ers and only 52 for the Giants. 

New York blew several opportunities to get off the field on third down, including on a 3rd-and-22 when rookie cornerback Darnay Holmes was flagged for illegal contact. 

Shanahan didn’t disclose if he recycled plays or if he did, how often, but the Giants didn’t have any answers, regardless of what was run. The 49ers put together four drives of 10+ plays, and three of them went for 70+ yards, while the Giants could only muster one drive of 10 plays and one that ended in a field goal. 

Quarterback Nick Mullens, making his first start of the season with starter Jimmy Garoppolo recovering from a high ankle sprain, completed 25 of 36 passes for 343 yards and one touchdown for the 49ers. 

“You definitely want to just settle in, get a rhythm going and that’s kinda how it works,” Mullens said. “I’d say that’s a fairly accurate statement for all quarterbacks.”

Mullens led an offensive effort that directed the Giants’ defense with a barrage of short passes and zone runs, and wore the unit out as the game went on, scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter.

“We went on a 16-play drive without a third down,” Shanahan said. “Nick was really impressive on that, just with his execution and how consistent he was all day.”

Overall, the 49ers outgained the Giants in total yardage 420-231, while notching 29 first downs to the Giants’ 13. 

For the 49ers, a team coming off a slew of injuries to key offensive starters, including Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle and running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman, going on the road to play with several backups might present concern.

However, Shanahan was not surprised by the production his offense achieved against a Giants defense that had fooled many into thinking it had turned the corner. 

“Nothing against them, but we had a real good week of practice, and we were pretty confident last night and I know the way it ended up but it by no means was easy,” Shanahan said. “Those drives were grinds.”