The Seahawks Clinch the First Seed in the NFC with a Huge Win Over the 49ers
One final game, one chance for the Seattle Seahawks to control its destiny for the 2026 NFL Playoffs. It all happened Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium, with a face-off against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara. Multiple situations in the NFC West Division depended on the outcome of this game. Seattle’s victory would’ve helped them clinch the division as a whole, along with the first seed, if they either won or tied. The 49ers have been stiff competition all season, so an intense matchup wouldn’t be totally off the table. Unfortunately, Seattle is still missing Charles Cross and Coby Bryant with injuries for this game. They were among the players listed this week in the injury report for Seattle.
First Quarter
Sam Darnold passed short right for two yards to Rashid Shaheed. Kenneth Walker then ran for nine yards, gaining a pass from Darnold short left for 20 yards after that. Zach Charbonnet passed up the middle for six yards. A nine-yard pass that went short left from Darnold to Eric Saubert, then Walker tackled right for eight yards. Charbonnet left-tackled for six yards, but unfortunately, the drive ended with an incomplete pass from Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks quarterback received an 11-yard sack right after that play. Charbonnet made a right end run for four yards, with an additional four-yard run not long after that. Darnold made an incomplete pass to Cooper Kupp for a turnover on fourth down and four.
Christian McCaffrey made a two-yard run up the middle, Brock Purdy passed short left to Kyle Juszczyk for five yards. Purdy then made an incomplete pass to Jauan Jennings. Thomas Morstead made a 48-yard punt to Jon Weeks, then Garrett Wallow received a 15-yard face mask penalty. With the ball back in Seattle’s hands, Walker rushed for three yards. Next, Darnold passed short left to Smith Njigba for five yards. Charbonnet ran for 27 yards to score the first touchdown of the game, letting the Seahawks take the lead 7-0 thanks to Jason Myers’s extra point. Myers kicked 65 yards to the end zone. For the Niners’ second drive of the game, McCaffrey ran up the middle for two yards. Purdy was then sacked back a yard. Morstead punted 38 yards to Weeks, caught by Shaheed. Walker right guarded for 20 yards, then had a one-yard run. Darnold passed short left to Smith-Njigba for 12 yards, no gain run from Charbonnet, only for it to be a five-yard penalty to end the first quarter.
Second Quarter
Darnold made a 17-yard pass to Smith Njigba, and Charbonnet ran right end for 11 yards after that on the drive. Incomplete pass from Darnold to Charbonnet short right. Unfortunately, Myers missed a 47-yard field goal. Purdy made a six-yard pass to George Kittle and a nine-yard pass to McCaffrey, then lost a yard on a pass to Jennings, which was incomplete. Jennings ended up injured during that play. Purdy pushed right for 10 yards, and an incomplete pass from Purdy to Juszczyk was made, turning over a fourth down and one. As Seattle had possession once again, Darnold passed short to AJ Barner for five yards. Then, an incomplete pass deep to Smith Njigba from Darnold, Myers made a field goal that brought the score to 10-0. Eddy Pineiro made a field goal for the 49ers to make it a 10-3 ball game.
Third Quarter
Myers led a 64-yard kickoff to start the third quarter, McCaffrey rushed right for five yards, and then ran up the middle for one yard. Purdy had a 13-yard short pass right to Brian Robinson Jr., then a short middle pass for seven yards to McCaffrey, and a four-yard pass to Kittle. Robinson made a three-yard shotgun run, and Purdy got sacked, pushing him back six yards. Purdy made an incomplete pass to Kendrick Bourne during the drive. In the 49ers’ next possession, McCaffrey ran up the middle for three yards, Purdy passed short to McCaffrey, and short left to Robinson. Morstead punted 50 yards to Weeks at the 32-yard line on Seattle’s side.
Fourth Quarter
Darnold fumbled a no-gain run, but Seattle still recovered the ball. Walker made a 19-yard run to the 44 line. Darnold then passed to Smith-Njigba for 19 yards, then passed to Charbonnet for 12 yards. Charbonnet had a one-yard run up the middle. Myers made another field goal for 31 yards. This made the score 13-3. Purdy passed to Kittle for 20 yards, then scrambled left end for an 11-yard run. McCaffrey guarded left for a four-yard run. Purdy then passed short right to Robinson, short right pass to Jennings for 16 yards, McCaffrey ran up the middle for three yards, and there was an intercepted pass by Drake Thomas. Seattle would march down the field after starting in the Niners’ end zone, only to have Myers miss a 26-yard field goal attempt. San Francisco would turn over the ball on fourth down and six, giving the ball back to Seattle, where Darnold kneeled to finish the game, clinching the NFC West Division and the first seed in the NFC.
Final Thoughts
Seattle had a lot more momentum overall during this game, even with the multiple missed field goals from Myers. It did not stop them from ultimately dominating the 49ers Saturday night and gaining the division title in their grasp. Their record is now 14-3, and they now have a first-round bye for the playoffs as a result of this victory. This is a benefit for Seattle because now they have more time to rest, as opposed to the 49ers, who are still in the playoffs, though they do not have the same additional benefits that Seattle has received. This was a really interesting game to watch, and it hopefully is making Seattle fans curious enough about whether or not they will be able to keep up this hot streak going into the playoffs after resting for the first round this season.
