Kyle Shanahan Details How Wind Affected His Decisions In 49ers' Win Vs. Browns

Kyle Shanahan details how wind affected his decisions in 49ers' win vs. Browns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

A strong wind off Lake Erie prompted 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan to change his philosophy to open Sunday’s game.

But the blustery conditions in Cleveland did not prevent him from taking an aggressive approach with quarterback Brock Purdy at the end of the first half.

Shanahan explained both of his decisions on Monday, one day after the 49ers’ 26-8 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 13 of the NFL calendar.

The 49ers always choose to defer when winning the opening coin toss, so they have a chance to possess the ball on back-to-back possessions at the end of the second quarter and beginning of the third.

But on Sunday, Shanahan opted to receive the opening kickoff after winning the coin toss. That way, the 49ers could determine which direction they would be heading in the fourth quarter to take advantage of the wind.

“I wanted a chance to choose to have the wind at our back in the fourth quarter,” Shanahan said, “and that was the only way to get that done.”

Shanahan said he made that decision only because of the unique weather conditions, which consisted of 20 mph winds with gusts of 35 mph or greater.

“The way that wind is, it’s hard to throw or kick for two quarters in that game,” he said. “We wanted to make sure that if we needed to win it on a last-second field goal or throw at the end of the game, that we had that [the wind] in the fourth quarter if we could.”

The wind factored into the strategy of both teams, but Shanahan decided to air it out at the end of the first half after contemplating just running out the clock before halftime.

“It was one of the harder decisions and not-fun ones for a while,” Shanahan said.

The Browns took an 8-7 lead with 39 seconds left in the first half. After a touchback, the 49ers took over at the 35-yard line.

After two incomplete passes, Purdy faced a third-and-10 situation. The 49ers moved the chains on Purdy’s 13-yard completion to Ricky Pearsall, who got out of bounds with 21 seconds remaining.

“When Brock hit Ricky on that third down and to the sidelines, watching the ball and everything made me have some confidence that the wind had died down a little bit,” Shanahan said. “So once we got that first [down], we kind of said, ‘Screw it,’ and we went.“

Purdy connected with Jauan Jennings on a 12-yard pass. Then, he hit a deep throw to tight end George Kittle for 33 yards to the Cleveland 7-yard line.

“It was a great catch,” Shanahan said. “Then you could see higher up, the wind picking up. That’s why I think it did affect that ball and the higher one and probably affected that kick with it hitting the upright also.”

Kicker Matt Gay’s 25-yard field-goal attempt ricocheted off the left upright and snuck over the crossbar to give the 49ers a 10-8 lead and momentum heading into the second half.

In the second half, the Browns were held scoreless, allowing the 49ers to breeze to the victory without a need for the wind at their backs.

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