Kyle Shanahan leads 49ers in return to Redskins' field

With his team playing so well, Kyle Shanahan may not be eager to dive into his ugly past as an offensive coordinator in Washington, where the unbeaten 49ers play on Sunday.

But, make no mistake, the 49ers coach would love to deliver a knockout punch to the franchise that made he and his father Mike scapegoats while firing them after the 2013 season.

“One thing about Kyle Shanahan, if he gets a chance to, he will embarrass you, because that's one of the things that we did when he was here,” ex-Washington receiver Santana Moss said on 106.7 The Fan in Washington. “They're coming in here to make sure they make a lot of noise. And just knowing how he exited with his dad in that style, I'm sure they're not gonna hold back.

“I hope these guys know, on the defensive side, what's ahead of us and be ready for it, because Kyle Shanahan's coming and he's not holding nothing back.”

Shanahan worked with five different starting quarterbacks during four tumultuous seasons with Washington, and was fired for the first and only time during his six-team tour of the NFL after a 3-13 season.

This will be Shanahan's second trip back to Washington since being let go by owner Dan Snyder - his 49ers dropped to 0-6 in 2017 after their Week 6 loss at FedEx Field. Fortunately for Shanahan, things are going much better these days as he resides over the hottest team in the NFL.

Sad song in DC

Jon Gruden's younger brother, Jay, was fired last week in Washington in the middle of his third straight losing season. Just like his brother in Oakland, Jay was replaced on an interim basis by Bill Callahan, who led Washington to its first win of the season - a 17-16 win over woeful Miami, which dropped a 2-point conversion pass and a chance to win with six seconds left. Some argue things will never change in Washington as long as Snyder, one of the most hated owners in pro sports, controls the team. The team couldn't even properly honor one of their greats earlier this year - London Fletcher was inducted into the team's Ring of Fame while his name was embarrassingly misspelled on the scoreboard at FedEx Field.

Trouble minus Trent

With Trent Williams, arguably the top left tackle in the NFL, still holding out over a dispute with the organization, it's made a struggling offensive line even weaker in Washington. Williams, who is reportedly upset about treatment of a tumor that was finally removed from his head, is seeking a trade but his wish probably won't be granted. Washington has been woeful in short-yardage situations - a 17% success rate on short-yardage runs, according to FootballOutsiders.com, that is easily the worst in the NFL. Chicago is next worst with a 30% success rate on short-yardage runs. Washington's running backs also have the lowest yards per carry average in the league at 2.9.

Another sea of red?

The 49ers made themselves at home in against the Rams while their fans took over the L.A. Memorial Coliseum to help cheer on San Francisco. While D.C. is probably quite a hike for many of the 49er Faithful, there still remains a decent chance the 49ers won't be facing much opposition from the crowd in Washington, where the team owns the worst attendance in the NFL. Two weeks ago, the usually unflappable Bill Belichick couldn't contain his enthusiasm after the crowd at FedEx Field seemed like it was transplanted from New England. “It was amazing. Oh my God, there were so many Patriots fans there,” said Belichick. “It was surprising and overwhelming. It was great to see them. Appreciate the support from all our traveling Patriots fans. Or maybe they are from here, I don't know.”