49ers HC Kyle Shanahan sounds off on Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald

Shanahan had interesting things to say about the Seahawks' head coach.

Jul 23, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan answers questions from reporters following the first day of training camp at SAP Performance Facility. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

SANTA CLARA -- Two of the NFL's best play-callers will face off this Sunday in Seattle.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is widely considered one of the best offensive play-callers in the league. Meanwhile, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has had Shanahan's number at times.

The last time these two coaches met was Week 11 of 2024 at Levi's Stadium. In that game, Macdonald's defense held Shanahan's offense to just 17 points and a measley 4.9 yards per play, and the 49ers lost.

Oct 10, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald stands on the sideline during the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The season before, when Macdonald was the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, he held Shanahan's offense to 19 points, intercepted five passes, and the 49ers lost again.

On Wednesday, I asked Shanahan what makes Macdonald such a good defensive play caller.

"Play calling is play calling," Shanahan said. "To me, it's how he runs his whole scheme. They have the threat of everything. It's a sound defense in how it starts out. Really hard to get big plays on. When you say that, it usually sounds real conservative, which it is in those areas, but he also knows how to put pressure on you. Does a good job calling his blitzes, he times them out right, does good ones to stop the run, good ones to stop the pass, and he has a Rolodex of coverages, so it's always hard to get a bead."

Oct 10, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks Mike McDonald and San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan greet after the game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Translation: Macdonald's defenses tend to be a bit vanilla on first and second down, and then his defense becomes much more exotic on third down and in other obvious passing situations. He won't sacrifice his run defense to rush the quarterback, but when he knows a pass is coming, he can find lots of ways to stop it.

Macdonald is one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL when it comes to scheming up and calling blitzes, and Shanahan is one of the worst offensive coaches in the NFL when it comes to beating blitzes. That's because he always calls hot routes and never uses max-protection schemes, which means defenses can generate unblocked rushers against the 49ers almost at will if they send enough players at the quarterback. See: The 49ers' most recent Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs. Kansas City's defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo generated nine unblocked rushers in that game.

The schematic chess match between Shanahan and Macdonald will be fascinating to watch on Sunday. We'll see if Shanahan changes his approach at all. Because right now, Macdonald has his number.