WATCH: Falcons-49ers matchup will be a family affair for Matt Ryan
From Kyle Shanahan to Tevin Coleman, there are plenty of connections between the Falcons and 49ers that will meet again Sunday.
Dan Quinn preaches brotherhood, so maybe he views seeing Shanahan and Coleman in Week 15 as a family reunion of sorts. Well, for Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, Sunday will actually be a family reunion.
San Francisco's starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey is Ryan's cousin. It will be the first time in Ryan's 11-year career that a family member will be on the other sideline.
"It's going to be really cool," said Ryan this week about facing his cousin.
Like Ryan, McGlinchey was a Top 10 pick in the NFL draft, going No. 9 overall in the 2018. Also like Ryan, McGlinchey went to a Catholic college in Notre Dame. Ryan, of course, attended Boston College.
Both cousins also went to William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia for high school. Ryan is nine years older, but if weren't for McGlinchey's bigger offensive-lineman body, one might mistake the two for each other.
“I see so many similarities,” Shanahan said of the two cousins this week according to Atlantafalcons.com. “They talk similar, they act very similar, they both are extremely intense. They both love football, they both work as hard as anyone I’ve ever been around. They’re both really good people. Only difference is McGlinchey is a lot thicker, and they play a different position.”
While Ryan and McGlinchey won't be on the field together Sunday afternoon, family bragging rights will definitely be on the line.
