Mike Macdonald admits to 'terrible answer' on how to defend Christian McCaffrey

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald knows there's no good way to answer this question.

Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs the ball during the first half against San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. | | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver corps looks decimated on paper compared to last year. Deebo Samuel was traded and Brandon Aiyuk took his ball and went home. That means Brock Purdy will have to settle for working with the NFL's best offensive play-caller, best left tackle, best tight end and best pass-catching running back.

That would be Christian McCaffrey, who's still going strong in Year 9 - entering Week 18 with over 2,000 yards from scrimmage for the third time in his career plus 17 touchdowns.

Defending McCaffrey is easier said than done. Here's what Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald had to say when asked if he'd focus first on containing McCaffrey as a rusher or as a receiver.

Mike Macdonald on Christian McCaffrey

Mike MacDonald was asked what will he try to take away first with Christian McCaffrey — the run game or pass game:

“All the plays. Terrible answer, but it’s by situation. He’s definitely someone you have to account for at all times. They do a great job of moving him around. He… pic.twitter.com/xDQl4U7iPl

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) December 31, 2025

Macdonald has it right - and perhaps there is no correct answer to that question. McCaffrey represents a lethal challenge for any defense - but he's been particularly tough for Seattle to stop since coming over in the trade from Carolina.

Here's a look at what McCaffrey has done against the Seahawks since the trade.

Christian McCaffrey (49ers) vs. Seahawks

- 12/15/22: 26 carries, 108 rushing yards, 1 TD, 6 catches, 30 receiving yards

- 11/23/23: 19 carries, 114 rushing yards, 2 TDs, 5 catches, 25 receiving yards

- 12/10/23: 16 carries, 145 rushing yards, 0 TDs, 1 catch, 8 receiving yards

-11/17/24: 19 carries, 79 rushing yards, 0 TDs, 4 catches, 27 receiving yards

- 9/7/25: 22 carries, 69 rushing yards, 0 TDs, 9 catches, 73 receiving yards

As you can see, McCaffrey was killing the Seahawks at the end of the Pete Carroll era. However, things started to turn downward in a big way after Mike Macdonald took over as head coach to begin the 2024 season.

The greatest responsibility for stopping him lies with Macdonald, who has to scheme against all the different ways that Kyle Shanahan can use McCaffrey to put his defenders into conflict.

On the field, the guy that will be tasked with actually tackling McCaffrey most often is middle linebacker Ernest Jones IV. While Macdonald deserves a lot of the credit, Jones has played a major role in slowing CMC down since getting traded from Tennessee to Seattle midway through the 2024 campaign.

Keeping McCaffrey under 100 rushing yards and out of the end zone will be a major factor in deciding who wins Saturday's matchup for the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed.

Oct 20, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) talks with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Lumen Field. | | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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