The Seahawks host the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round. Read our in-depth preview 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 bad injury luck began in Seattle in Week 1 of the regular season when they saw off the Seahawks 17-13 despite losing tight end George Kittle to a hamstring injury, with quarterback Brock Purdy fighting through a turf toe injury that saw him miss eight games of the campaign.
With Kittle now out once again with the torn Achilles he sustained 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 seed Seahawks in Week 18 and progressing to the NFC Championship Game.
But intrigue around this rivalry clash was heightened on 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 a quarterback dealing with an injury may raise nerves among the home fans as Mike Macdonald’s men go against a team they have not 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 limited San Francisco to 173 yards of offense, the worst output of the Kyle Shanahan era for the Niners.
That is the obvious formula for a second successive triumph for the Seahawks, especially with Kittle on the sideline.
However, Shanahan produced a masterclass in offensive play-calling last week as the Niners prevailed 24-19 in Philadelphia and, in a game in which his team have nothing to lose, Seattle can expect San Francisco’s head coach to go deep into his voluminous playbook once again as he bids to keep a magical season alive.
Asked about his team playing out of desperation against Seattle, Shanahan told a press conference on Thursday: “I feel that’s kind of our message every week. I feel like that’s kind of what’s gotten us here.
“I think our advantage in the season is we play desperate every game. I feel like that’s what gives us an advantage over most teams that we play against.
“My message last week was more that’s not an advantage in the playoffs. Every team plays desperate in the playoffs. So be ready for that and understand that when you’re going against people.”
Shanahan’s counterpart Macdonald, meanwhile, is putting little credence in what happened when the two teams faced off for the one seed in the Bay Area.
“There are things in the game plan that we didn’t get to; I’m sure there are things in their game plan they didn’t get to,” he said.
“To use the whole game declaring itself type thing, you don’t know how these games are going to go. So this game is going to play out about a 99.999 percent chance it’s going to play out way different than the last one, and you’ve got to do a great job recognizing it and making the adjustments and doing all that type of stuff.”
The presence of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams figures to improve the odds of 49er success against the Seahawks’ vaunted defense. Williams was instrumental in keeping Purdy upright against the Eagles last week and, if the 49ers are to seriously threaten an upset, he will be key again.
This will be third playoff meeting between the Niners and Seahawks, with each team winning once at home. It is the first in Seattle since the Seahawks’ epic win in the NFC Championship Game at the end of the 2013 season. Macdonald will hope a defensive stand of that nature won’t be required for the Seahawks to prevail this time around.
Prediction for San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks boast a dominant defense and an offense that, when Darnold fires on all cylinders, can rival anyone in the NFL. However, with Darnold banged up, there’s no guarantee he will be able to produce his best. If he struggles, this magical 49ers run could reach new heights.
How to watch San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers-Seattle Seahawks matchup kicks off at 8:00pm ET on Saturday. It will be broadcast nationally on Fox and can be streamed via NFL +.
Best betting offers for San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
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