The San Francisco 49ers are 17-30 versus the Seattle Seahawks. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has only produced two wins out of the ten times he's faced his Seattle counterpart, Pete Carroll. The last time the 49ers beat the Seahawks was on December 29, 2019.
In December of 2021, the 49ers lost to the Seahawks 23-30 because Carroll didn't hold anything back. He wanted to win more by faking a punt on special teams, which caught the 49ers off guard. After that play, San Francisco never recovered. It was like they were traumatized, once again coming up short against their division rival.
The question is, what does Kyle Shanahan have to do to beat Carroll? It's simple—be more aggressive.
Football is the number one sport built off of aggression. There's contact in every play. Sometimes the players can be too aggressive and get unnecessary penalties which can negate the team getting free yards and extra opportunities. Carroll wins most of his matches with the 49ers because he does whatever it takes for his team to come out on top.
Perhaps Shanahan should take a page out of the veteran head coach's book. Every season, the 49ers put a more talented team on the field. However, the 49ers have fallen short of the Seahawks for the past two seasons. The old "bring it on" catchphrase states to "be aggressive, be be aggressive," even from the head coach position.
On Sunday, we'll learn which head coach wants it more.