In the third meeting between these two bitter division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks left no doubt about why they’re the NFC’s top seed as they dominated the San Francisco 49ers in a 41-6 beatdown to clinch their first NFC title game appearance since 2014.
Seahawks Pounce On Niners On Opening Kickoff
If there was ever an example of a game being lost before it even officially starts, the Seahawks made sure they were the prime example of that saying. The Seahawks only needed nine seconds on the opening kickoff to put points on the board, as Rashid Shaheed took the kick 94 yards to the house. It would only be window dressing after that score, as the Seahawks would control the game throughout.
It was the same story for the Seahawks as it was in their last win over the Niners just a few weeks back, as Seattle leaned on its much-improved rushing attack to slice up San Francisco’s heavily depleted defense. Running Back Kenneth Walker III did his best Marshawn Lynch impression tonight for Seattle, as he rushed for 116 yards and 3 touchdowns in a dominating performance.
While the offense was busy running over the Niners’ defense, the Seahawks’ aptly nicknamed defense “the dark side,” was busy stifling a heavily injured but still deadly San Francisco offense. The Seahawks held the Niners to just 236 total yards on offense, while also collecting three turnovers to help give their offense some free points in the game. The 236 yards by the Niners was the lowest yardage total in the last 9 games for the team.
Niners Platoon Of Injuries Finally Catches Up To Them
Well, it was only a matter of time before the Niners couldn’t miraculously win despite the plethora of injuries at every major position on the roster. Tonight’s game was no different in the injury department, as All-Pro Running Back Christian McCaffrey would be the final victim of the injury curse for San Francisco. McCaffrey would suffer an upper-body injury at the end of the first half before returning in the third quarter.
While it was a show of tremendous toughness from McCaffrey to continue playing through injury, it was evident that he couldn’t be the player the Niners needed him to be. The four-time Pro Bowler finished with just 35 yards on the ground, while also only rushing for 6 yards in the second half as the Seahawks defense thoroughly shut down the rushing attack for San Francisco.
The passing game didn’t do much better as Niners QB Brock Purdy couldn’t crack the code of the Seahawks’ vaunted defense. The former Iowa State Cyclone threw for 140 yards and 1 interception, as Purdy finished with a dreadful 54 passer rating for the game. Purdy was also without his favorite receiving target in star Tight End George Kittle, who suffered a season-ending injury during the team’s Wild Card game versus the Philadelphia Eagles last week.
Seahawks Back In Familiar Playoff Territory
It’s been a long time coming for Seahawks fans to see their team play at home in the playoffs. Tonight’s game was the first home playoff game for the franchise since 2017. The Seahawks will also be playing in their fourth NFC Championship game in franchise history, a spot that has been kind to the Seahawks. Their record in the NFC title game is 3-0.
The Seahawks will also get some much-needed rest and preparation heading into next Sunday’s conference championship game. They’ll also have to wait patiently for the result of the Bears versus Rams game tomorrow night to see which NFC team will be the final obstacle in their path to Super Bowl LX.
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