Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur among former Redskins thriving in playoffs

For the second year in a row, the NFC will be represented in the Super Bowl by a coach who used to be an assistant for the Washington Redskins. 

After former Redskins coordinator Sean McVay made it last year with the Los Angeles Rams, next week’s NFC Championship will feature Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers and Matt LaFleur’s Green Bay Packers. Both coaches were a part of Mike Shanahan’s staff from 2010 to 2013. 

That guarantees the Super Bowl will feature at least one former Redskin. 

Shanahan served as Washington’s offensive coordinator under his dad. The 40-year-old helped lead the 49ers to a 13-3 record in 2019 and they’re coming off a dominant 27-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings.  

LaFleur, also 40, was Washington’s quarterbacks coach. This season marked LaFleur’s first as a head coach and it has been a successful one — as Green Bay (13-3) advanced Sunday with a win against the Seattle Seahawks.

Beyond coaches, next week’s games also have a few players who have spent time with Washington:

Preston Smith, Green Bay Packers edge rusher 

After leaving Washington in free agency this past offseason, Smith has enjoyed a career year with the Packers. He had another day big day Sunday, recording two sacks. The former 2015 second-rounder was with the Redskins for four seasons. 

Kendall Fuller, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback

Count Fuller among the “ones who got away.” Washington’s former nickel cornerback was part of the Alex Smith trade in 2018, when the Redskins sent Fuller and a third-round pick to Kansas City for the quarterback. Now, Fuller will play in the AFC Championship game for the second straight year after the Chiefs advanced with a come-from-behind 51-31 victory Sunday against the Texans. 

Bashaud Breeland, Kansas City Cheifs cornerback

Breeland was the Redskins’ starting cornerback for four seasons before the team let him walk in free agency in 2018. This season, the 27-year-old started 15 games for the Chiefs and had seven tackles in Sunday’s win.