NFL fans poured in praise for Kyle Shanahan for his brilliant work supporting Brock Purdy

When Trey Lance went down in the early season, the San Francisco 49ers figured they’d be fine. While he had his obvious limitations, they still had the experienced Jimmy Garoppolo, after all. When Garoppolo went down with an injury, leaving the 49ers to turn to Brock Purdy — the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft — they were probably still going to be fine, but it was a stretch to assume they’d keep humming.

But anyone thinking the 49ers’ offensive ship would sink overlooked that Kyle Shanahan was the captain steering it. And, by now, it’s abundantly clear NFL’s best offensive mind can do everything for his quarterbacks.

(Also, it helps to have superstar weapons like George Kittle.)

Through two games as San Francisco’s unquestioned starter, Purdy has thrown for four touchdowns and completed over 70 percent of his passes. While he’s not exactly lighting it up like Patrick Mahomes, he’s undoubtedly making more than enough quality plays with a loaded supporting cast around him.

It’s no wonder the 49ers were able to pace ahead of the Seattle Seahawks and the fourth-wall-breaking D.K. Metcalf seemingly rather easily in a 21-13 win to clinch the NFC West.

And the credit for getting a late-round rookie like Purdy comfortable in the middle of the season belongs to Shanahan — the ultimate provider of training wheels to NFL quarterbacks. Not that this is major news for the NFL’s gold standard in offensive play-calling, which I’m not even sure needs a quarterback to win games at this point.

As the 49ers’ red and gold machine continues to roll along with its third-string quarterback, the NFL world poured in praise for Shanahan’s latest growing offensive masterclass.

Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See applicable operator site for its terms and conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 21 or older to gamble.