Seahawks fans won't like how many division rival coaches beat out Mike Macdonald

There is a strong argument that the NFL head-coaching hierarchy begins in the NFC West and trickles down from there. Because of this, the West Coast Division is likely the best and most competitive in the NFL, thanks to coaches like the Seattle Seahawks' Mike Macdonald. 

When you have the likes of Sean McVay coaching the Los Angeles Rams, Kyle Shanahan leading the San Francisco 49ers, and Macdonald in charge of the Seahawks, what division has a better trio of head coaches than the NFC West?

Macdonald, who had the last laugh among his coaching peers and division coaching rivals, entered last season with questions about whether he would one day be included in the same conversations with McVay and Shanahan.

Well, now he is, and yet, according to a recent NBC Sports rankings list, being included wasn't enough to vault Macdonald above McVay or Shanahan, and it's a valid argument to have. 

Seattle Seahawks' Mike Macdonald gets left out of the top 3 of NBC Sports' NFL head coaching rankings

Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports recently published his annual NFL head coaching rankings, which included many of the usual, non-debated names at or near the top, like Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh, Dan Campbell, and Nick Sirianni, among others. 

McVay, Shanahan, and Macdonald also made the list, but it's McVay's and Macdonald's places on it that draw some valid questions. In McVay's case, who was ranked the NFL's best head coach by Daugherty, a strong case can be made that the Super Bowl-winning coach is ranked too high above Reid. 

Reid has coached the Kansas City Chiefs to five Super Bowl appearances since 2020, winning three of them along the way. Reid is highly regarded as one of the best coaches not only in the league today, but in NFL history, and he's not done coaching yet, and Patrick Mahomes isn't done playing either. 

McVay is elite, there's no doubt about it, but to be ranked above Reid is not necessarily disrespectful, but questionable. That said, this is about Macdonald, who is about to enter year three on the job in Seattle and came in at No. 4 on the list, behind both of his division rivals. 

Shanahan took the third spot, which maybe could and should have been given to Macdonald. Again, this is no disrespect to Shanahan, who is also elite in the head coaching ranks, but he's 0-2 in Super Bowls, while Macdonald is 1-0. McVay's case for being ranked above Macdonald is right and true, but despite Shanahan's greatness, Macdonald has accomplished more in less time than Shanahan.

In just his second year as the Seahawks head coach, Macdonald rose to the occasion and made Sam Darnold look like a quarterback none had ever seen before. Macdonald's defensive mind also translated to the Seahawks having one of the league's most lethal defensive groups.

All in all, the Seahawks are a complete team, through and through, and Macdonald deserves a ton of credit for maintaining that throughout this past season. 

On top of all of that, Macdonald led the Seahawks to set a franchise record in wins for a season with 14. In two years, Macdonald became elite, and while it's not right to put him above McVay or Reid, at least at this moment in time, the case is strong to move above Shanahan. 

The one thing Daugherty's list got correct regarding Macdonald is his top-five status, which he truly has earned and deserves, despite others in the top-10 like Sirianni, Sean Peyton, and Harbaugh, for instance, who either have much more winning experience, and in Sirianni and Peyton's case, a Super Bowl win of their own. 

Macdonald has established himself as one of the best, but for next year's head coach rankings list, don't be surprised to see his name a spot or two higher.