Kyle Shanahan “Surprised” By “Hate” One 49ers Position Gets

Sep 20, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks on prior to the game against the Miami Dolphins at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kyle Shanahan “Surprised” By “Hate” One 49ers Position Gets

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Jose Sanchez | Last updated Oct 1, 2026 9:00 AM ET

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One of the most odd criticisms given to the San Francisco 49ers in the last year has been directed at their offensive line.

For some reason, people have deemed the 49ers’ offensive line mediocre. The reality is they were never a bottom-five unit as critics make them out to be, but they’re also not that great either.

However, the 49ers’ offensive line is off to an amazing start this season. Brock Purdy has yet to be sacked, and while they haven’t faced a lethal pass rush yet, it’s still impressive to go three consecutive games without a sack.

The offensive line is also leading the league with the lowest pressure rate allowed at 22.5%. If this were a mediocre group, Purdy would’ve been sacked and pressured a lot more.

A lot of folks owe them an apology. Kyle Shanahan was asked about the unwarranted criticism the offensive line gets, to which he responded that he was perplexed by it.

“The hate on our O-Line always surprises me, personally. I think they've done pretty good for a while,” Shanahan said at his Wednesday press conference.

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“Right when they start getting too much credit, I want everyone to chill out too because I know what comes after that. But, our guys, I love our O-Line. I think they've been real consistent for a number of years and they're playing really well right now.”

Shanahan is funny for insinuating some sort of jinx is going to occur to the 49ers’ offensive line, or maybe he doesn’t want them to become conceited from all of the praise.

Whatever the case may be, I think he acknowledges that the offensive line isn’t going to sustain this level. Part of it is the competition they’ve been facing, or lack thereof.

It’s not like the 49ers have been facing strong defensive fronts that will give them issues, like the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks will over the next two weeks.

The other part is that he knows they’re not an elite group, as the numbers show. They’re a fine, if not a fairly good, offensive line. But they’re more of a middle-of-the-pack unit with borderline top-10 potential.

And that’s totally fine. Having a strong offensive line isn’t common. What the 49ers have now is perfectly fine, and it seems that Purdy knows how to protect them as well.

Meaning, he knows when to pick the right spots holding the football for long. They’re all on the same frequency, which they’ll need come Sunday.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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