The Dallas Cowboys just saved their season. The Chicago Bears are surviving without Caleb Williams. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the biggest surprise in the AFC. And the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks have picked up right they left off last year.Â
Each week, I dive into the All-22 coaches’ film before offering a few insights to watch. Here are four developments that could be long-term storylines involving some of the best teams and players in the NFL.
If you enjoy watching a chess match on artificial turf, you might want to tune in when the San Francisco 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX) for the battle of wits between Kyle Shanahan and Mike Macdonald. As brilliant schemers with voluminous playbooks loaded with creative play designs from various personnel groupings, the whiteboard matchup will showcase the imagination and innovative tactics of two of the leagues best coaches.
The 46-year-old Shanahan has revolutionized football with variations of a zone-based scheme popularized by his legendary (and Super Bowl-winning) father, Mike. The 49ers’ run-heavy formations are built on off-tackle plays perfectly complemented by exotic pre-snap shifts, motions and condensed alignments. With the constant movement and misdirection leaving defenders dazed and confused, San Francisco routinely generates explosive plays on blown assignments and misalignments.
The 39-year-old Macdonald, though, has often neutralized the Niners by featuring two-high safeties, light boxes and various sub-package personnel with five or six defensive backs on the field. Additionally, Seattle varies its adjustments to motions to give the quarterbacks false keys on whether the coverage is man or zone based on defensive backs running across the formation. The Seahawks will occasionally run their defenders across the field, shadowing the motion man before dropping into zone coverage. They will also “rock-and-roll” defenders and meet the motion man on the other side in man coverage.
The ever-changing tactics and intricate pre-snap disguises prevent the 49ers from exploiting the “tells” opponents give away with their alignments. With the Seahawks stockpiling interchangeable, versatile defensive backs, light boxes let the “Dark Side” use the speed and quickness of their hybrid defenders to contain the run while staying over the top of play-action passes.
To accomplish this, the Seahawks rely heavily on their imposing defensive line to control the point of attack, with Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II and Jarran Reed whipping blockers with their individual and collective athleticism and physicality. The trio’s explosiveness clogs interior gaps and forces the 49ers to the edges against a group of fast defensive backs who excel at one-on-one tackles in space.
As Macdonald preaches a “12 as one” mentality throughout his team, the Seahawks defense takes the mantra a step further by playing like an extra defender is on the field through their effort and physicality between the lines. Against the 49ers, the Seahawks rely on that energy and flawless execution to match up with an offensive juggernaut that features blue-chip players at every marquee position, including quarterback (Brock Purdy), running back (Christian McCaffrey), wide receiver (Mike Evans), tight end (George Kittle) and left tackle (Trent Williams).
The 49ers offense has been rolling with its stars and veteran role players (see: Deebo Samuel and Kyle Juszczyk), making key plays in pivotal moments in a scheme that puts defenders in a mental and physical grinder. The complex shifts, motions, and condensed alignments force quick adjustments, while the downhill running game and “catch-and-run” aerial attack test every defender’s open-field tackling skills and overall physicality.
While Macdonald has typically gotten the upper hand against Shanahan â his defenses have held the Niners to less than 20 points in five of six meeti
