Sean McVay vs. Kyle Shanahan record: Inside the head-to-head history between Rams, 49ers coaches

Sean McVay vs. Kyle Shanahan record: Inside the head-to-head history between Rams, 49ers coaches
Sean McVay vs. Kyle Shanahan record: Inside the head-to-head history between Rams, 49ers coaches

Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan have an intertwined history.

Once upon a time in 2010, McVay was hired as the assistant tight ends coach in Washington under Kyle’s father, Mike Shanahan. Kyle was the team’s offensive coordinator at the time.

Some time later, both were also considered candidates for the Rams’ head coaching vacancy back in 2017. Per ESPN, Kyle Shanahan, the Falcons’ offensive coordinator at the time, was “heavily linked” to the Los Angeles job, but ultimately focused more on Atlanta’s upcoming playoff run instead of interviewing.

Of course, it wasn’t too long after that the Rams hired McVay. But Shanahan didn’t go without a new job that offseason as well — shortly after the Falcons lost the Super Bowl, he was hired in San Fransisco.

Since then, they’ve gone head-to-head as division rivals 16 times, including an NFC Championship matchup.

As McVay and Shanahan face off once again in Rams vs. 49ers on “Thursday Night ,” here’s an updated look at their head-to-head coaching history.

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Sean McVay vs. Kyle Shanahan head-to-head record

Both McVay and Shanahan didn’t have prior head coaching experience when hired in 2017, so they’ve only met in the rivalry between the Rams and 49ers.

Shanahan has the advantage over McVay with a 10-6 all-time record in meetings between Los Angeles and San Fransisco.

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However, McVay has the upper hand in playoff success, having led the Rams to an NFC Championship victory over Shanahan’s 49ers in 2022. Los Angeles went on to win the Super Bowl over the Bengals that year, and while San Fransisco has gone to the big game twice under Shanahan (both times facing Kansas City), it has yet to win a title with the head coach.

Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of the history between McVay’s Rams and Shanahan’s 49ers.

Date Winner Score Loser Score
Sept. 21, 2017 Rams 41 49ers 39
Dec. 31, 2017 49ers 34 Rams 13
Oct. 21, 2018 Rams 39 49ers 10
Dec. 30, 2018 Rams 48 49ers 32
Oct. 13, 2019 49ers 20 Rams 7
Dec. 21, 2019 49ers 34 Rams 31
Oct. 18, 2020 49ers 24 Rams 16
Nov. 29, 2020 49ers 23 Rams 20
Nov. 15, 2021 49ers 31 Rams 10
Jan. 9, 2022 49ers 27 Rams 24
Jan. 30, 2022 (NFC Championship) Rams 20 49ers 17
Oct. 3, 2022 49ers 24 Rams 9
Oct. 30, 2022 49ers 31 Rams 14
Sept. 17, 2023 49ers 30 Rams 23
Jan. 7, 2024 Rams 21 49ers 20
Sept. 22, 2024 Rams 27 49ers 24

MORE NFL:

Sean McVay career coaching record

With a Super Bowl ring to prove it, McVay has been considered one of the best offensive minds in the NFL for years. He’s led the Rams to the playoffs five times, including two Super Bowl appearances.

Here’s a look at his year-by-year results with Los Angeles.

Year Record Win percentage NFC West finish Playoff result
2017 11-5 .688 1st Lost to Falcons in Wild Card round
2018 13-3 .813 1st Lost to Patriots in Super Bowl
2019 9-7 .563 3rd Missed playoffs
2020 10-6 .625 2nd Lost to Packers in divisional round
2021 12-5 .706 1st Won Super Bowl
2022 5-12 .294 3rd Missed playoffs
2023 10-7 .588 2nd Lost to Lions in Wild Card round
2024 7-6 .539 2nd TBD
Totals: 77-51 .600

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Kyle Shanahan career coaching record

Shanahan, meanwhile, has also been considered one of the best coaches in the league since joining the 49ers. He’s led San Fransisco to the playoffs four times, with the squad reaching at least the conference championship in all four instances.

Here’s a look at Shanahan’s year-by-year results with San Fransisco:

Year Record Win percentage NFC West finish Playoff result
2017 6-10 .375 4th Missed playoffs
2018 4-12 .250 3rd Missed playoffs
2019 13-3 .813 1st Lost to Chiefs in Super Bowl
2020 6-10 .375 4th Missed playoffs
2021 10-7 .588 3rd Lost to Rams in NFC Championship
2022 13-4 .765 1st Lost to Eagles in NFC Championship
2023 12-5 .706 1st Lost to Chiefs in Super Bowl
2024 5-7 .417 4th TBD
Totals: 69-58 .543
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