49ers coach says he’s not worried about the weather impacting the game

When people think of Seattle, the first things that come to mind are either coffee or rain.

Wet weather is definitely top of mind when people think of the Bay Area.

So when the forecast is calling for strong storms this weekend, some may see that as an equalizer when playing the Seahawks. Seattle coach Pete Carroll was asked about the rain at his press conference Thursday, saying the weather is the same for both teams.

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan also doesn’t see the rain helping or hurting either team.

“I look at all games as equal. I know we’re favored, I know what people say, but this is the NFL and this is the playoffs and last time we played them, it came down to last possession, I expect it to be the same,” Shanahan said.”

According to the National Weather Service, showers start in the morning for the Bay Area and last through the afternoon, with a small chance of a thunderstorm. The game scheduled to kick off at 1:30, and Shanahan has his game plan ready.

“You have everything in the gameplan for it to go anyway, not just because of weather, but whether you’re struggling in any aspect too, so you always got that planned and you we know it’s a big possibility,” Shanahan said. “We’ll see how it affects both sides and we’ll adjust accordingly.”

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Thankfully, the 49ers got some time to practice in the rain this week. Shanahan said rookie quarterback Brook Purdy looked good handling a wet ball.

“I think he’s got some familiarity with it just being where he played college football and he had a good practice yesterday,” Shanahan said.

This isn’t the first time the team could play in severe wet weather. The 49ers lost 19-10 in Week 1 to the Chicago Bears, playing in a downpour. Since his team has played in weather like this before, Shanahan said some players will be able to prepare better and know what to expect.

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“Yeah, I think it’s good for guys to know what to expect because some guys who aren’t in it and they get surprised by it,” Shanahan said. “If you’re not ready for something mentally no one likes sitting in rain or like sitting up at Air Force when it was like 10 degrees. If you’re not mentally prepared for that, it’ll really mess you up, so going through it and seeing how it can mess you up guys will be prepared for it and they’ll make sure it doesn’t affect them going into it.”

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