Inside Slant

The Sports Xchange

December 20, 2018 at 1:01 pm.

Shanahan familiar with Fangio defenses

Despite two straight wins, a surprising recent history of success in December, a win against this same team last season, and the fact that they’ll be playing at home, the San Francisco 49ers go into their Week 16 matchup with the Chicago Bears as the underdog.

What does Las Vegas know that most with a less-trained eye don’t?

Actually, nothing.

The evidence is right there in black and white for everyone to see in the box scores of three games in the past seven seasons: 49ers vs. Redskins, 2011; 49ers vs. Redskins, 2013; 49ers vs. Bears, 2017.

Three snoozers to be sure, and that’s exactly the point:

When the NFL’s human embodiment of an irresistible force has met its immovable object in those three matchups, suffice it to say offensive explosions have not resulted.

The three aforementioned games have been the only times offensive guru Kyle Shanahan has matched wits with defensive mastermind Vic Fangio. It will happen for a fourth time this week.

Who’s had the edge so far? Suffice it to say, had Ali-Frazier I and II been as lopsided as this matchup, there’d never have been a Thrilla in Manila.

Let’s check the record:

2011 Week 9: 49ers 19, Redskins 11. Fangio’s 49ers defense limited the Shanahan-run Redskins offense to just one field goal before, down 19-3, Washington finally got into the end zone with 1:10 to play. The Redskins finished with 303 total yards and three turnovers (two fumbles, one interception).

2013 Week 12: 49ers 27, Redskins 6. Same matchup of offensive and defensive coordinators. Basically same result. Only this time Shanahan’s guys never reached the end zone and finished with just 190 yards of offense with one turnover (an interception).

2017 Week 13: 49ers 15, Bears 14. This time, Shanahan was on the 49ers’ side and won the war on the scoreboard, if not the battle on the field. Fangio’s defense again held the opponent out of the end zone (five field goals), while allowing 388 total yards. The Bears forced one turnover (an interception).

To sum: Three games, one touchdown, five turnovers (three interceptions) and an average of 294 yards. Fangio two wins, Shanahan one.

Shanahan play-called those games for John Beck, Robert Griffin III and Jimmy Garoppolo. This week, it’ll be Nick Mullens.

And this time, Fangio is bringing Khalil Mack.

Shanahan knows what he’s in for.

“They play sound, but they keep everything boxed in,” he said of Fangio’s current edition. “They’re very good in their front seven. They have the personnel to do it and the scheme to do it. With their edge setters, they have big guys inside who don’t have to move at all because of how well they set the edge on the outside, which helps your linebackers not have to be in much space.

“And they play physical. They’ve always had a pass rush. They do different ways of it. They do have some pressures and stuff, but they rarely run pressures that makes their coverages vulnerable.”

Vegas gives Fangio’s guys the edge. History does, too.

SERIES HISTORY: 64th regular-season meeting. Series tied, 31-31-1. The clubs have met each of the last four seasons, the last three times in December in Chicago. The last time they played at San Francisco, the 49ers were hosting their first-ever regular-season game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., in September of 2014. The Bears won the game 28-20. The franchises have met three times in the postseason, with the 49ers winning all three.

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