Shanahan Reflects on Key Moments in 49ers’ Victory Over Giants: Mykel Williams’ Injury, the Faithful’s Power, and Special Teams’ Momentum Surge.QQ
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Head coach Kyle Shanahan met with reporters Monday afternoon following the San Francisco 49ers 34-24 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. The team improved to 6-3 on the season behind complementary football in all three phases. Here are the top takeaways from the head coach following the Week 9 win:
Defensive Line Depth to Be Tested
The 49ers received tough news following Sunday’s game as rookie defensive lineman Mykel Williams was diagnosed with a torn ACL and lateral meniscus injury, officially ending his season.
“I just hurt for him,” Shanahan said. “I was loving watching him battle through all this stuff… I’m just really disappointed that he is not able to really continue developing through this year because I believe we’ve got a hell of a player who’s going to really figure this out in the run game and the pass game. He still will, but I hurt for him that he isn’t going to do that over the next half of this year.”
The 49ers will continue to lean on the depth of their defensive line, including newcomers Clelin Ferrell and Keion White, both of whom played significant roles against the Giants. Shanahan noted White has shown strong potential as an interior rusher, and Ferrell’s experience adds valuable versatility. The team also expects Bryce Huff to return to action this week, bolstering the defensive line rotation.
Green Shines in Secondary
The 49ers secondary took a step forward in coverage during Sunday’s matchup, and Shanahan highlighted cornerback Renardo Green as one of the defensive standouts.
“I thought we definitely looked improved from the week before in Houston. I thought the guys played tighter in coverage. I think there was much less mistakes in the pass game. I thought Renardo had one of his better games, thought he made a few plays there. The one thing, we did miss too many tackles, which we need to clean up, but I thought the guys took a step in the right direction.”
Green finished the day with one of his best performances of the season, allowing just six yards on three targets with two pass breakups and no touchdowns, earning the highest overall defensive grade on the team (76.2).
