San Francisco 49ers’ offense is tailor-made for Kyle Shanahan’s scheme

Back in December, I wrote about how Kyle Shanahan had taken the San Francisco 49ers’ offense to the top of the NFL. I detailed how Shanahan, a play-calling savant, is capable of manipulating defenses unlike anyone else in the league. And that’s perhaps most apparent in his league-high use of motion to unveil coverages and move defenses, which in turn creates space for his playmakers to go to work.

Motion/shift rate of Kyle Shanahan offenses since 2014 (@PFF):

2014 CLE: 56% (3rd)
2015 ATL: 56% (2nd)
2016 ATL: 59% (1st)
2017 SF: 66% (1st)
2018 SF: 71% (1st)
2019 SF: 78% (1st)

The NFL average jumped 4% to 47% this season, and SF is 30% clear of that. Crazy usage levels. pic.twitter.com/gXb9MtDR5N

— Ben Linsey (@PFF_Linsey) December 11, 2019

The scary part is that the offense should only continue to improve as San Francisco tailors its personnel to fit the scheme.