Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald and Seattle’s defense won the latest chess match with Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco offense on Saturday night.
Seattle (14-3) beat the 49ers (12-5) to clinch the NFC West title and the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, leaning on a dominant defensive performance that neutralized San Francisco’s stars. The win evened the Macdonald-Shanahan series at 2-2.
Shanahan-era stat is bummer for 49ers fans
The Seahawks scored the game’s only touchdown early in the first quarter, when Zach Charbonnet broke free for a 27-yard run. Seattle never trailed after that — a troubling sign for Shanahan-coached teams.
According to ESPN Research, including the playoffs since 2017, the 49ers are 1-39 under Shanahan when trailing by seven or more points entering the fourth quarter. The lone win came against Green Bay in the 2023 divisional round.
San Francisco’s offense struggled throughout. Brock Purdy finished 19 of 27 for 127 yards with an interception, and Christian McCaffrey was limited to 32 yards on eight carries. McCaffrey also dropped a pass that was intercepted at a critical moment.
49ers defense has flaws headed into playoffs
Seattle controlled the game on the ground, rushing for 180 yards behind Kenneth Walker II and Charbonnet. A troubling sign for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and his banged up squad as the 49ers will need to win on the road to advance in the playoffs.
The 49ers will finish the regular season as either the NFC’s No. 5 or No. 6 seed, pending the result of Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals.