The 49ers’ offense was among the best in the league during the 2025 NFL season.
But they had a clear kryptonite: the Seattle Seahawks’ defense.
In three matchups between the regular season and playoffs, San Francisco averaged under nine points per game against their NFC West rival. Against every other team, the 49ers put up 27.5 points per game.
So, how did the Seahawks seemingly have the 49ers’ number on that side of the ball? NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco posed that same question to Seattle’s coach and defensive play-caller Mike Macdonald last week at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe.
“Well, I wouldn’t — I mean, it’s the NFL. Every game is just so challenging, and every game has a life of its own,” Macdonald explained. “So I think our players are just, you know, we decided we wanted to play a certain way.
“And I wouldn’t say that we have the 49ers’ number or we don’t have their [number]. It’s just, those games played out that way. And then as the game starts to unfold, you start to realize the things that you need to be able to do to go win the game, and our guys did that, you know, so they deserve a lot of credit to make it come to life.”
Perhaps Macdonald simply was playing coy about the Seahawks’ effectiveness against the 49ers to avoid giving a division rival some extra bulletin-board material, or he knows Kyle Shanahan already could have a potent counterpunch up his sleeve for 2026.
Regardless of whether it was coachspeak or honesty from Macdonald, this season’s matchups between Seattle and San Francisco in Weeks 5 and 12 will be must-watch to see if Shanahan and the 49ers can solve the Seahawks’ formidable defense.
Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
On “49ers Talk,” Matt Maiocco sits down with Seattle Seahawks coach and Super Bowl LX champion Mike Macdonald at the ACC golf tournament.
The 49ers' offense was among the best in the league during the 2025 NFL season.
But they had a clear kryptonite: the Seattle Seahawks' defense.
In three matchups between the regular season and playoffs, San Francisco averaged under nine points per game against their NFC West rival. Against every other team, the 49ers put up 27.5 points per game.
So, how did the Seahawks seemingly have the 49ers' number on that side of the ball? NBC Sports Bay Area's Matt Maiocco posed that same question to Seattle's coach and defensive play-caller Mike Macdonald last week at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe.
"Well, I wouldn't -- I mean, it's the NFL. Every game is just so challenging, and every game has a life of its own," Macdonald explained. "So I think our players are just, you know, we decided we wanted to play a certain way.
"And I wouldn't say that we have the 49ers' number or we don't have their [number]. It's just, those games played out that way. And then as the game starts to unfold, you start to realize the things that you need to be able to do to go win the game, and our guys did that, you know, so they deserve a lot of credit to make it come to life."
Perhaps Macdonald simply was playing coy about the Seahawks' effectiveness against the 49ers to avoid giving a division rival some extra bulletin-board material, or he knows Kyle Shanahan already could have a potent counterpunch up his sleeve for 2026.
Regardless of whether it was coachspeak or honesty from Macdonald, this season's matchups between Seattle and San Francisco in Weeks 5 and 12 will be must-watch to see if Shanahan and the 49ers can solve the Seahawks' formidable defense.