Heading into the mid-day Saturday playoff game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is comparing home-field advantage to global warming ahead of San Francisco (12-3) hosting the Minnesota Vikings (11-6) Saturday.
NFL teams were good on the road during the 2019 regular season. Then, three of four road teams during Wild Card weekend won, leaving home teams watching from home heading into this weekend’s Divisional Round.
So, a reporter asked Shanahan Thursday about his perspective on that and if he still believes home-field advantage exists.
“It definitely exists and it’s just random,” Shanahan said according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s global warming. There’s a home-field advantage. It’s harder to play when you can’t hear. That doesn’t mean you’re going to lose. That’s just a fact. It’s harder to play on the road.”
San Francisco suffered its first loss of the season at home, and two of the team’s three total 2019 losses took place at Levi’s Stadium. A third home loss this weekend would obviously end the Niners’ season, so Shanahan is likely hoping that the effects of home-field advantage show up at kickoff.
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