The San Francisco 49ers, for the second year in a row, will not be participating in the Super Bowl. After a late-season rally and an upset of the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round, the 49ers met their fate in the Divisional Round.
Making matters more painful was the fact that the Niners fell to their NFC West foe, the Seattle Seahawks. Making matters even more painful was that Mike Macdonald's squad thwarted the 49ers' chances of winning the division just weeks prior in the season finale with a 13-3 victory.
Twice in the span of three weeks, the new kids on the block in the division outplayed Kyle Shanahan's team. Then, the Niners and their fanbase had to watch a Seahawks-Rams NFC Championship Game, just to further the misery. Now, Seattle will take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.
Kyle Shanahan called it like it is about Seahawks' defense before SB LX
San Francisco's offense wasn't exactly a world-beater during the 2025 NFL season, but as always, it was plagued by injuries. Still, when Kyle Shanahan was asked about what makes the Seahawks' defense so difficult in an interview before the big game on Sunday, he went all facts and no filter.
"I know you guys want my expert opinion, but I haven't scored a touchdown on these guys the last two times we've played them, so I don't know how good that is. It's a grind versus these guys," Shanahan said.
Shanahan then went into the specifics of what makes Seattle's defense so great, praising Julian Love, in particular. But it's hard not to feel your stomach turn when Shanahan acknowledges that San Francisco scored a whopping nine points against the Seahawks in its last two matchups -- combined.
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That 13-3 loss was followed by a 41-6 thrashing in the postseason, which left an incredibly poor taste in the mouth of the team and fanbase. George Kittle was out for the second matchup, but it's not like the 49ers lit up the scoreboard when he was in the lineup, either.
After losing in such a fashion to the Seahawks, it was an interesting choice for Chris Simms to ask Shanahan that question. Of course, he's the coach of the effective host team, and Shanahan is known for his honesty and straight-laced approach, but it feels a bit too soon to be re-living that nightmare.
Ideally, the Patriots escape with a victory in Super Bowl LX, even though the entire football world doesn't seem to think that'll happen. Seattle winning could be somewhat of a moral victory for the 49ers, but those don't exist in the NFL. Only hatred and rivalries.
Go Pats! I mean, go-not Seahawks!