The Seahawks host the 49ers in the NFC divisional round. Read our detailed overview here.
Preview for San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will face off for the second time in three weeks as the two NFC West rivals meet in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
San Francisco’s improbable run to this point, amid remarkably unlucky injury, began in Seattle in the first week of the regular season when they beat the Seahawks 17-13 despite losing tight end George Kittle to a hamstring injury, with quarterback Brock Purdy battling through a turf toe injury that saw him miss eight games of the campaign.
With Kittle out again with the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in last week’s upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round, few give the 49ers much hope of avenging their 13-3 loss to the one-seeded Seahawks in Week 18 and advancing to the NFC Championship Game.
But the intrigue surrounding this rivalry matchup intensified Thursday when Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was listed as questionable on the injury report with an oblique issue.
The Seahawks are confident Darnold will be able to play despite the problem, but the prospect of Seattle starting an injured quarterback could worry home fans as Mike Macdonald’s men face a team they haven’t beaten at home since 2021.
Darnold managed to avoid turnovers in the Seahawks’ victory at Levi’s Stadium in the regular-season finale, while the defense held San Francisco to 173 offensive yards, the worst result in the Kyle Shanahan era for the Niners.
It’s the obvious formula for a second straight triumph for the Seahawks, especially with Kittle on the sidelines.
However, Shanahan produced a masterclass in offensive playmaking last week as the Niners won 24-19 in Philadelphia and, in a game in which his team has nothing to lose, Seattle can expect San Francisco’s head coach to once again dig into his voluminous playbook as he attempts to keep a magical season alive.
Asked about his team playing out of desperation against Seattle, Shanahan said in a news conference Thursday: “I think that’s kind of our message every week. I feel like that’s kind of what got us here.
“I think our advantage this season is that we play desperate every game. I feel like that’s what gives us an advantage over most of the teams we play.
“My message last week was more that it’s not a playoff advantage. Every team plays desperate in the playoffs. So be prepared for that and understand it when you play people.”
Meanwhile, Shanahan’s counterpart, Macdonald, gives little credence to what happened when the two teams battled for the top seed in the Bay Area.
“There are things in the game plan that we haven’t addressed; I’m sure there are things in their game plan that they haven’t addressed,” he said.
“To use the whole game to call yourself a guy, you don’t know how these plays are going to play out. So this game is going to play out with about a 99.999 percent chance that it’s going to play out differently than the last one, and you have to do a great job of recognizing that and making the adjustments and doing all that kind of stuff.”
The presence of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams should improve the 49ers’ chances of success against the vaunted Seahawks defense. Williams was instrumental in keeping Purdy upright against the Eagles last week and, if the 49ers are serious about threatening an upset, he will be key again.
This will be the third playoff meeting between the Niners and Seahawks, with each team winning once at home. It’s the first time in Seattle since the Seahawks’ epic victory in the NFC Championship Game at the end of the 2013 season. Macdonald hopes a defensive stand of this nature won’t be necessary for the Seahawks to prevail this time around.
Prediction for the San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks have a dominant defense and an offense that, when Darnold is firing on all cylinders, can compete with anyone in the NFL. However, with Darnold banged up, there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to perform at his best. If he struggles, this magical 49ers run could reach new heights.
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How to watch the San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
The game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will begin on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. It will air nationally on Fox and can be streamed via NFL+.
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