Skip to content

Shanahan regrets 2nd-and-11 sack during SB LI

Brian Spurlock / USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Shanahan became the San Francisco 49ers' head coach this winter, but his final game with the Atlanta Falcons will linger forever in his memory.

Shanahan served as the Falcons' offensive coordinator last season as the team posted a scorching, NFL-best 33.8 points per game en route to Super Bowl LI.

Atlanta jumped out to a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, but quickly capitulated during the second half. New England rallied for an overtime victory and Shanahan was asked if he harbored any regrets during the contest.

"There's no doubt," Shanahan said on "The Rich Eisen Show." "The second-and-10 that we got sacked on. I wish I had dialed something up differently."

Shanahan is referencing a play that occurred with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, as the Falcons clung to a 28-20 lead. The Falcons were on the Patriots' 23-yard line and could've sealed the game with a field goal by running the ball on their next downs. However, Shanahan dialed up a passing play on second-and-11 and Patriots lineman Trey Flowers sacked Matt Ryan for a 12-yard loss.

On the ensuing play, Atlanta committed a holding penalty and were taken out of field-goal range, punting the ball away to New England. The Patriots would score on the next drive and the contest went into overtime, where James White notched the game-winning touchdown.

Shanahan will likely consider what went wrong for the duration of his coaching career but it will almost certainly provide little solace to Falcons' fans.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox