Seahawks nostalgic to be back in San Francisco, site of 2024 turning point

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- As a rookie head coach in 2024, Mike Macdonald took his team to San Francisco for the first time with no trophies on the line but a sense the Seattle Seahawks' season was on the brink.

"We were on a rollercoaster," Macdonald said Tuesday at the San Jose Convention Center, recalling a critical moment during his first season as head coach.

With five losses in a string of six games, the Seahawks boarded the team plane at Sea-Tac Airport for a road game against the 49ers sporting a 4-5 record and more baggage than Macdonald could count.

"We were at an inflection point of where we want to go," Macdonald recalled as the Seahawks are preparing to play once more at Levi's Stadium in Super Bowl LX on Sunday night.

The Seahawks lost in overtime to the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 3 that season and split for their bye week. The buzzword bouncing around the offices of Macdonald and general manager John Schneider always came back to one idea.

"Connected," Macdonald said of the theme he shared to inspire a defensive turnaround. "We made a pact: We're going to be a great defense no matter what happens."

The Seahawks ended up winning six of their last eight games in 2024 then won 14 games during the 2025 regular season. They head toward the Super Bowl with Macdonald in position to win his 27th game, playoffs included, in his first two seasons.

Since their turning point, the Seahawks are 22-5, counting two victories in the current playoffs. With changes along the way to further the shared vision of what Seattle could become, Macdonald views Super Bowl LX as an exhibit of the collective investment in the ongoing mission.

"It's a masterclass by John and our personnel folks," Macdonald said. "When you have a shared alignment of what kind of people you want what kind of player fits the process. They've bought in. All of us. And they're doing it for the guy next to him.

"For us, we said it after the (NFC) Championship Game that we didn't care (if they were expected to win). We don't. I think what was important to us was that we had to become a championship team. That's what our focus was on."

--Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media