Brock Purdy Tells Pat McAfee Why He Respects Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald

In recent years the LA Rams have supplanted the Santa Clara 49ers as the team that the Seattle Seahawks have to get through. Last night Matt Stafford not only won the league MVP award, but promised he'd be back next year, too - so that's probably not changing anytime soon.

That doesn't mean the Niners are a pushover, though. While the Seahawks blew them out in the divisional round it's worth mentioning that they were once again besieged by injuries to key players. Conspiracy theories point to an electrical substation by their practice field, while the simple truth is Kyle Shanahan is pushing his players too hard in practice.

Anyway, the 49ers will be back next year - and the fact that Shanahan has found a capable starting QB makes them more dangerous than ever, at least when they're healthy. Brock Purdy admittedly enjoys a ton of advantages most quarterbacks don't have, but he's earned our grudging respect over time.

For his part, Purdy also has a lot of respect for the Seahawks, especially head coach Mike Macdonald. Here's what he told Pat McAfee earlier this week about it.

Brock Purdy on Mike Macdonald

"I have a lot of respect for Mike Macdonald and he's a great football coach..

They're very sound on defense and they've got a really good front" ~ @brockpurdy13 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/qwjV0sOO9y
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 5, 2026

That respect has been well-earned, because Purdy hasn't found much success against Macdonald - going back to an embarrassing blowout at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens back in 2023 which may have played a big role in convincing the Seahawks to hire Macdonald in the first place.

In that game, Purdy's 49ers lost 33-19, and he posted a dismal line of 18/32 for 255 yards, zero touchdowns and four interceptions. His QBR came out to near-impossible 7.3.

Here's what Purdy's numbers look like against Seattle since Macdonald came on board.

Brock Purdy vs. Mike Macdonald Seahawks

- 10/10/24: 18/28, 255 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 129.3 passer rating, 49ers win 36-24

- 11/17/24: 21/28, 159 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 85.3 passer rating, Seahawks win 20-17

- 9/7/25: 26/35, 277 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 92.2 passer rating, 49ers win 17-13

- 1/3/26: 19/27, 127 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 64.9 passer rating, Seahawks win 13-3

- 1/17/26: 15/27, 140 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 54.6 passer rating, Seahawks win 41-6

As you can see, Purdy had a strong first start against Macdonald's Seahawks but things have been trending down for him ever since. That's not an accident, as it coincides with a larger rise of Seattle's defense - beginning with the 2024 midseason trade to bring in centerpiece Ernest Jones as their new middle linebacker.

The Seahawks' D continued to get better in the second half of that season and was already playing at a top-five level by the time it was over. During the offseason they landed two big upgrades by signing DeMarcus Lawrence and drafting Nick Emmanwori, making them the juggernaut they are today.

This unit looks pretty close to complete and unstoppable right now, but each new offseason brings new challenges. Keeping this group together won't be easy, especially if they win on Sunday.

Brock Purdy on Mike Macdonald

Brock Purdy vs. Mike Macdonald Seahawks

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