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 Francisco. 

Since then, they’ve gone head-to-head quite often as division rivals, including an NFC Championship matchup. 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 an 11-7 all-time record in meetings between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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 Francisco 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.

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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.

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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 Francisco 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 Francisco:

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