49ers' Kyle Shanahan may have locked up this award in Week 17

Shanahan is having a fantastic season.

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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has been in the Coach of the Year discussion all season. However, his team's win over the Chicago Bears has given him a strong push towards the end of the season. 

Will Kyle Shanahan win Coach of the Year?

Shanahan has typically been in the top five, but has not been quite the favorite. While he is still behind Mike Vrabel, his odds have crashed, and he is right behind Vrabel, as it appears to be a two-man race with one week to go. 

Jeffrey Chidiha of NFL Network explains that while Vrabel is the favorite by sportsbooks, he believes the NFL media will vote for Shanahan as the winner. 

What sets Shanahan apart is the way he turned this team into a contender after health woes once again played a huge role in its storyline.

Jeffrey Chidiha

It does make sense that this hype is coming off of such a big game. Not only did San Francisco win against another top-tier NFC team in thrilling fashion, but they scored 40 points without their best weapon, George Kittle, and with their best offensive lineman leaving after the first play of the game. That play was a pick-six that dug his team a touchdown deficit. 

Shanahan has always been a good coach, but there have always been questions about whether he can win without the high-end talent. His team lost a lot before they drafted Nick Bosa, and they used to lose when he would leave the lineup. They were terrible without Trent Williams entering the season. Now, he is beating the Bears without both of them.

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The argument for Vrabel makes sense considering the Patriots picked in the top five over the last two seasons. The roster is not even that great when you break it down, and they are leaning heavily on Drake Maye.

However, Maye may be what separates Shanahan from Vrabel. Maye is likely going to win the MVP. It is hard to say that Vrabel has the best player in the NFL all season and was doing something very special as a coach. He unlocked Maye, but Maye was the talent. 

In the case of Shanahan, he had two quarterbacks. He had two left tackles, two tight ends, and endless depth at wide receiver. There is not one player that you can point to and say that they are the reason they won.

With the 49ers, it is starting to become clear that they are winning this season because of Shanahan. If the 49ers win on Saturday night, Shanahan is a lock. If not, he is still a coin flip to win it.