Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, seen during warmups before Sunday’s home win over the Arizona Cardinals, faces a bigger challenge this week against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, seen during warmups before Sunday’s home win over the Arizona Cardinals, faces a bigger challenge this week against the Seahawks in Seattle.
Kyle Shanahan was witty and self-deprecating when he served as a guest NBC analyst in February for Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium.
Before Seattle’s 29-13 win over New England, the San Francisco 49ers head coach poked fun at his own Super Bowl record — he’s 0-3 as head coach and coordinator — before he got more laughs when he was asked: What are the keys to attacking the Seahawks defense?
“I know you guys want my expert opinion,” Shanahan said, “but I haven’t scored a touchdown on these guys the last two times we played them. So I don’t know how good that is.”
Yes, three field goals in two games is bad. Now, after Shanahan had an offseason to search for solutions, will he have a better answer Sunday when the 49ers visit Seattle?
Shanahan has burnished his reputation as a play-calling wizard during the 49ers’ 4-0 start, but Week 5 provides a reminder of the two-week span in January when the offensive guru got humbled by his head-coaching counterpart, Seahawks defensive play-caller Mike Macdonald.
First, in Week 18, with the NFC’s No. 1 seed on the line: Seahawks 13, 49ers 3. Next, in the divisional playoffs: Seahawks 41, 49ers 6.
“A very, very elite defense,” tight end George Kittle said. “And their head coach knows what the heck he’s doing.”
Macdonald, 39, became the first defensive head coach to win a Super Bowl in seven years, and the first to win a Super Bowl while serving as his team’s defensive play-caller. The Seahawks allowed the fewest points (17.2) and yards (285.9) in the NFL last season. This season they’ve allowed the fewest yards (246.8) and the fifth-fewest points (18.3).
“Obviously,” Shanahan said, “they’re a huge challenge.”
It’s tempting to say the 49ers are now better equipped to handle the challenge. They are unbeaten largely because of their offense: They lead the NFL in yards per play (6.8), red zone touchdown percentage (84.6) and third-down conversion percentage (57.5).
They rank second in points per game (30.5), haven’t committed a turnover in their past 14 quarters and have become the first team in the past 21 years to not allow a sack in the season’s first four games.
“Their offense is efficient,” Macdonald said. “It’s also explosive.”
But Macdonald was saying the same thing last season. And then the Seahawks eviscerated an on-fire offense.
Consider: Entering the 2025 regular-season finale against the Seahawks, the 49ers had won seven of their last eight games while averaging 34.3 points, 25.4 first downs and 376.5 yards. Their averages in their two high-stakes games against Seattle: 4.5 points, 12 first downs and 204.5 yards.
After his motions, shifts and other eye candy didn’t fool the Seahawks, Shanahan resorted to trickery to try to gain yards in the divisional playoffs. A double-reverse pass gained one yard. A 4th-and-1 option pitch from fullback Kyle Juszczyk to running back Christian McCaffrey lost three yards.
“They’re never out of position,” left guard Dominick Puni said. “They always know where each other is going to be. You can see it on film. They’re always just attached.”
In February, as an analyst, Shanahan explained what made Seattle’s defense so special.
The Seahawks prevent explosive passing plays by playing their two safeties deep, which usually exposes a team’s run defense. However, Seattle can still stuff opponents’ rushing attacks in its nickel defense, using an extra defensive back, and with their safeties residing in Spokane.
“You better be able to run the ball,” Shanahan said. “If you can’t run the ball, they’re going to keep their two safeties very deep. They’re going to give up no explosives. I’ve looked for two years. You can’t get the explosives unless you run the ball, unlock them, bring (the safeties) up.
“When that happens, you lean on them, get those 40 runs in. That was how we beat them in Week 1. We weren’t able to do that the last two times. You guys saw that result.”
But the 49ers didn’t run particularly well in any of their three meetings against the Seahawks. They had 119 yards on 36 carries (3.3 yards per attempt) in a 17-13 season-opening win. They had 161 yards on 39 carries (4.1) in their two losses.
Will they be able to run well enough to make Seattle’s safeties creep up Sunday? Right tackle Colton McKivitz’s answer wasn’t brimming with optimism.
“You hope so,” McKivitz said, laughing. “You always hope for that. But they’re a solid (defensive) front. They haven’t allowed a touchdown in eight quarters against us.”
The Seahawks’ domination was why Shanahan was on NBC’s set in February, noting he was hardly an expert when it came to how to attack Seattle’s defense. He’ll be back on the sideline Sunday hoping he’ll have a better answer against his Super Bowl champion counterpart.
“They’re incredibly aggressive,” Kittle said. “They’re incredibly violent. And their head coach knows how to scheme up people.”
Oct 8, 2026
Eric Branch has covered the 49ers at the Chronicle since 2011, when he arrived after covering the team in 2010 at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. A graduate of UCLA, he has won 10 national APSE awards, including recognition in 2026 for a story on the use of smelling salts in the NFL. In 2024 and 2025, he was named a finalist for the California Sportswriter of the Year award by the National Sports Media Association. Before covering the 49ers, he covered endless events, including archery tournaments and lawnmower races, while also working at the Logansport (Ind.) Pharos-Tribune, York (Pa.) Daily Record, Alexandria (La.) Town Talk and San Luis Obispo Tribune. He was included in the “Best American Sports Writing 2001,” under notable writing of that year, for a column on the joys and challenges of being a small-town sportswriter.
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