LAS VEGAS – Let’s call it the “San Fran Special.”
After 25 minutes of little-to-no action in Super Bowl 2024, Kyle Shanahan dug into his bag of tricks in the second quarter Sunday and gave the 49ers the spark needed to build a 10-point second-quarter lead.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings become the fifth non-quarterback to throw a touchdown pass in Super Bowl history when he caught a lateral from Brock Purdy and threw it across the field to Christian McCaffrey, who was set up with blockers.
The ball was a bit of a duck, but McCaffrey hit the turbo button and ran 21 yards.
Former Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Cowher predicted something like that might be in store for the 49ers as a way to loosen up the second-year Purdy in his first appearance on the big stage.
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“I would say sometimes take the ball out of his hands,” Cowher said when asked by The Post about trickery earlier the week. “Let it be on me to make the calls. Let me not just count on you to do your things. Let me get an extra possession or let me get an extra big play for you. That’s where coaching becomes rolling the dice a little bit. Yeah, that’s not what we usually do, but you know what? You only have so many chances to win a championship. I’d rather risk and fail than not.”