SANTA CLARA — With the 49ers’ victory already in the books for Week 3, coach Kyle Shanahan had a relaxing weekend at a high school football game, a cheerleading competition and a Sunday on the couch watching the NFL.
Shanahan was asked if former long-time assistant coach Mike McDaniel’s team caught his attention.
“Yeah, I think it caught everybody’s,” Shanahan said.
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The Miami Dolphins rolled to a 70-20 victory over Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos on Sunday. It was the most points scored by an NFL team in nearly 60 years.
Miami scored 35 points in each half and piled up 726 yards of total offense (350 rushing, 376 passing). McDaniel passed up a 45-yard field-goal attempt (instead opting to kneel on the ball on fourth down) that could have broken the all-time NFL record for most points scored in a game.
“The Miami game was crazy,” Shanahan said. “They played so good. They really had it done it seemed like with about eight minutes to go, so, you know, it could’ve been a lot worse. But it was fun to watch.”
Washington set the record for most points scored in a game on Nov. 27, 1966, in a 72-41 win over the New York Giants. The Dolphins’ output tied the 1950 Los Angeles Rams, 70-27 winners over the Baltimore Colts, for second on the all-time list.
San Francisco 49ers
McDaniel is in his second season as Dolphins head coach. Former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans collected his first NFL victory as a head coach with the Houston Texans’ victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“You’re always happy for people that you know and people you’ve been with,” Shanahan said. “It’s a lot more fun to watch guys in the AFC. You can truly cheer for them.
“When it’s guys in our own division or conference, it’s not very fun. You’re kind of annoyed.”
Shanahan said he likes watching the Dolphins play to see how McDaniel has built upon the ideas he had during his seasons on Shanahan’s offensive coaching staff.
“You get to see more formations and stuff you do and get a lot more looks at them,” Shanahan said. “Mike is as good as anyone at trying stuff and being creative.”