In a league where decisions are made based on what have you done for me lately, the San Francisco 49ers decided to fire defensive coordinator Steve Wilks of Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday according to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press on Wednesday. At first glance, the reason is simple. The 49ers were unable to stop Patrick Mahomes the last three quarters and overtime of the Super Bowl on Sunday in a 25-22 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers had one of the best defenses in the National Football League this season. They only gave up 298 points the entire year. The only team that gave up fewer points were the Baltimore Ravens, which gave up 280 points. The Ravens could not stop Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs either, as Kansas City won 17-10 in the AFC Championship.
At this time the 49ers will continue on with Kyle Shanahan of Minneapolis, Minnesota as their head coach. Shanahan has been coaching the 49ers since 2017. In that time, San Francisco has reached two Super Bowls, and have lost both games to Kansas City. In 2020, the 49ers lost 31-20. At the time, the 49ers defensive coordinator was Robert Saleh of Dearborn, Michigan. Saleh is currently the head coach of the New York Jets.
In addition to having one of the game’s best defenses, the 49ers have an incredible amount of offensive depth to accommodate quarterback Brock Purdy and are poised to contend for years to come. Time will tell if the 49ers should have fired Wilks. At this time it appears the transaction was premature.
