Mac Jones Reveals Kyle Shanahan ‘Was Pissed’ 49ers Were Betting Underdogs vs. Rams

If you want to know what really fires up San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, tell him he’s an underdog going into a game against Sean McVay.

After the 49ers’ dramatic 26-23 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, Mac Jones told reporters that Shanahan “was pissed” they entered the game as betting underdogs:

“Kyle came up to me, and he was pissed about it. He’s like, ‘Dude, I can’t believe they moved us to underdogs again,’ or like more [extreme underdogs] or whatever. And I’m like, ‘I don’t know what that means really, [but] like, yeah, let’s go kill them.’ He was pissed about it. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m pissed, too.'”

The line for the game wound up favoring the Rams by 8.5 points, per DraftKings Sportsbook (h/t Daniel Kohn of CBS Sports). It was initially a 1.5-point spread for the Rams, but the line moved significantly after the 49ers announced they would be without Brock Purdy, Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings.

That’s on top of the players San Francisco was already missing due to injuries, including George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk and Nick Bosa.

When you look at the list of players who were absent for the 49ers, it’s not hard to figure out why they were not only underdogs, but heavily favored to lose against a Rams team that has looked like one of the best teams in the NFC through the first four weeks.

However, history has shown that these 49ers-Rams matchups are going to be close even if the on-paper matchup looks lopsided for one side.

Since the start of the 2017 season, when Shanahan and McVay were both hired, the 49ers and Rams have played 18 times, including the playoffs. San Francisco holds an 11-7 edge, with 11 games being decided by eight points or fewer.

Shanahan’s unhappiness about being an underdog might also have something to do with his competitive and friendly rivalry with McVay. It’s been well documented over the years how close they are off the field, but they are also very intense when it comes to wanting to beat the other.

Both coaches were aggressively pursuing Matthew Stafford in a trade prior to the 2021 season, with the Rams being the one that pulled off the deal with the Detroit Lions.

After the Rams swept the season series between the NFC West rivals last season, the 49ers are off to a good start in 2025. Not only did they stun Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium, but they moved into sole possession of first place in the division with a 4-1 record.

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