Kyle Shanahan ‘s press conference after the San Francisco 49ers ‘ 20-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons on October 19, 2025, gave us a fascinating little peek behind the curtain.

The big takeaway is that the coach actually overruled Christian McCaffrey right before a huge play late in the fourth quarter.

“Just something that we had on our call sheet for a third-and-long situation,” Shanahan said. “I felt like it was the first one we used in the game, and he actually tried to come out of the play, which we never allow. He came out a number of times again. We never sent him back once except for that play. I looked at him and said, ‘Go back as long as you’re not hurt. You knew the deal.’ And he went back, and it was a hell of a play, a hell of a throw.”

McCaffrey, who had already

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