Saturday night marks Part 4 of the Kyle Shanahan–Mike Macdonald chess match, with both coaches having firmly established themselves as elite at their respective specialties — Shanahan on offense, Macdonald on defense.
The latest chapter comes in the final week of the NFL regular season, when the San Francisco 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night on ABC/ESPN.
The stakes could hardly be higher. The winner secures the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the division title, while the loser is pushed into the wild-card field. Once again, one of the league’s top offenses will be tested by one of its best defenses. So far, Shanahan’s offense owns a 2–1 edge in the series against Macdonald’s defense.
Kyle Shanahan on Mike Macdonald’s defense
Seattle enters the matchup as a top-five defense, leading the NFL on third down, ranking second in points allowed and sitting inside the top three against the run. However, the Seahawks have taken a step back defending the pass, a potential concern against a 49ers offense that has been rolling in recent weeks.
Brock Purdy has played at a high level, coming off wins over the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. In his eight appearances this season, Purdy has posted a quarterback rating above 117 four times. Even with that production, Shanahan understands the challenge Seattle presents.
He detailed what stands out about Macdonald’s unit before practice Tuesday.
“They’ve been running the same scheme now for two years together. They’re extremely sound," Shanahan said. "They’ve got really good players. He knows really how to stop the run and not give up any big plays with the two-shell defense, but also not give you easy completions. Everyone’s tight in their coverage. It’s hard to do both. They put a lot of stress on you with the blitzes that they pick. They’re very timely blitzes, some are for the run, some are for the pass. But, he does a great job of it and it’s a huge challenge.”
One thing not working in the 49ers favor is Seattle is known to put up points and the 49ers have hovered around the middle of pack in defensive rankings under coordinator Robert Saleh.