Seahawks great Richard Sherman disagreed with 4th down call by Mike Macdonald

In spite of everything he accompished, one of the reasons the Seattle Seahawks were right to move on from Pete Carroll is that he had not changed with the times. While his schemes and coordinators changed over the years, in some key areas he stubbornly clung to old-fashioned ideas.

The worst of it was Carroll's ultra-conservative instincts on fourth down, when he preferred to punt or kick field goals even when the math screamed that going for it was the right decision. We had hopes that Mike Macdonald would depart from this tendency, but in Sunday's loss to the 49ers Macdonald fell into the same hole, kicking on a 4th & 1 from the 49ers' 19-yard line.

We aren't the only ones who disagreed with the call by Macdonald - who freely admitted earlier today on the radio that Seattle's numbers dictated that they should go for it. Here's Seahawks great Richard Sherman on why he didn't like it, either.

“The Seahawks’ defense was phenomenal — but the offense got way too conservative. On 4th & short, you’ve got to trust your guys. That’s a decision that wins or loses you the game.”@RSherman_25 breaks down Seattle’s Week 1 loss 🏈

Full Breakdown: https://t.co/4a0pwHn5gd pic.twitter.com/C2ObOjwcHV
— Richard Sherman Podcast (@RShermanPodcast) September 8, 2025

Brock Purdy took the ensuing possession down the field, thanks in large part to a 45-yard completion to Ricky Pearsall over Riq Woolen's head. On third down near the goal line, he scrambled to the right and thew a desperation heave that Woolen should have had his hands on - but improbably the ball found the hands of third-string tight end Jake Tonges for a touchdown.

The Seahawks had one more chance to take the lead on their final drive - and Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba got them within scoring range. However, Darnold felt pressure from Nick Bosa on his right side after Abe Lucas got pushed deep into the pocket and fumbled as he wound up to pass. The Niners recovered and that was that, dealing a devastating blow to Seattle's playoff odds.

Hopefully Macdonald will listen to the math next time and make the right call - otherwise he might as well start chewing gum on the sideline and challenging random players to free throw contests.

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