Kyle Shanahan can’t wait to tell Mike Shanahan that he passed him in playoff wins

The San Francisco 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan, added another significant milestone to his solid coaching resume on Sunday night, and it came with a family twist that he didn’t realize at the time.

With 23-19 times 49ers defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia EaglesShanahan secured his ninth career playoff win, quietly surpassing his father, Hall of Fame coach Mike Shanahan, who finished with eight postseason wins. The moment just struck Kyle after the game, thanks to his wife, Mandy Shanahan.

“My wife actually told me that on the plane, so it actually surprised me,” Kyle Shanahan said, via Vic Tafur of the Athletics . “I went back and tried to count them and it was pretty cool. So I’ll let him hear about it this weekend.”

The comment drew both surprise and pride from a coach whose postseason success now stands on its own, separate from his famous last name. Mike Shanahan’s legacy includes back-to-back Super Bowl titles with Denver Broncos during the 1997 and 1998 seasonsbut Kyle’s playoff skit continues to grow with each deep run.

Sunday’s win may have been one of the most emblematic of Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. The No. 6-seeded 49ers entered Philadelphia battered and neglected, having already endured an injury-riddled season. San Francisco has won 13 games despite missing stars like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for large stocks, and that resilience was tested again when their superstar TE George Kittle was out early with a devastating Achilles injury.

Still, the 49ers refused to give up. The role players stepped up, the defense solidified late, and Shanahan’s game management helped San Francisco survive a hostile environment against one of the league’s toughest teams. The win not only kept Warner’s potential comeback alive, but also sent a message that the 49ers’ postseason triumph was no fluke.

Now, San Francisco is going to against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Roundwhere the odds will turn against them again. The Seahawks (14-3) handled the 49ers convincingly just a few weeks ago, and common sense suggests that wear and tear should catch up eventually.

But Shanahan’s team thrived on doubt all season long. And as long as the 49ers continue to find ways to win, Shanahan will continue to add to the playoff legacy — one he clearly earned and one he likes to remind his father of.