Oct 10, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks Mike McDonald and San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan greet after the game at Lumen Field. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

What Kyle Shanahan said about Mike Macdonald ahead of Seahawks-49ers season opener

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 11:30 AM ET

There will be a lot of great matchups to follow when the Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in their 2025 season opener. For our money the biggest attraction won't take place on the field, though - but rather on the sidelines.

That's where we'll be treated to a showdown between the consensus best offensive playcaller in the NFL and one of, if not the greatest defensive minds in the game today.

The latter is Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald, who still has plenty of critics even after a 10-win rookie season. However, you can't count the former among them, who's 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. Here's what he said about Macdonald's schematic game, per Grant Cohn at 49ers on SI.

Kyle Shanahan on Mike Macdonald

"...To me, it's how he runs his whole scheme. They have the threat of everything. It's a sound defense in how it starts out. Really hard to get big plays on. When you say that, it usually sounds real conservative, which it is in those areas, but he also knows how to put pressure on you. Does a good job calling his blitzes, he times them out right, does good ones to stop the run, good ones to stop the pass, and he has a Rolodex of coverages, so it's always hard to get a bead."

Shanahan got the better of Macdonald in their first matchup last season, with the Niners soundly beating the Seahawks at Lumen Field, 36-24. That was San Francisco's sixth-straight win over Seattle. Macdonald put an end to that streak in the rematch later in the season, when the Seahawks returned the favor and beat the 49ers on their home field, holding them to just 17 points in a 20-17 win.

It's always difficult to predict what will happen in the first game of a season, but for what it's worth the oddsmakers have the 49ers favored for Sunday's game by 2.5 points.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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