Are Kyle Shanahan's 49ers a Dynasty?

What makes Shanahan's 49ers unique is that they've been considered the best team in the NFL for the past five seasons, and they still haven't won a Super Bowl.

Kyle Shanahan is entering his eighth season as the 49ers head coach, and he's been to four NFC Championships and two Super Bowls. Does that mean his 49ers are a dynasty? Can they claim that title without a Super Bowl ring?

They've accomplished everything a team possibly can without winning a championship. They've had double-digit leads in two Super Bowls that they lost. They've been elite for five years. They're one of the most consistently excellent teams in sports. They set the standard for consistency without a Lombardi Trophy.

In lots of ways, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers are similar to Marv Levy's Bills. That team never won a Super Bowl, but it went to four in a row and Levy is in the Hall of Fame. But that Buffalo team lost only one close game in the Super Bowl. For the most part, they lost convincingly to superior teams such as the Dallas Cowboys.

What makes Shanahan's 49ers unique is that they've been considered the best team in the NFL for the past five seasons, and they still haven't won a Super Bowl. They've found creative ways to blow big leads against teams that weren't as talented across the board as they were.

So until the 49ers actually win a Championship, their legacy will be that they blew one of the best opportunities any team has ever had. And the main reason the 49ers haven't won a Super Bowl is that they've lost to Patrick Mahomes, whom they could have drafted but chose not to.

Call that football karma.