SEATTLE — All week, the biggest question surrounding Seattle’s divisional-round showdown with the 49ers was Sam Darnold’s oblique injury. When the Pro Bowl quarterback left practice two days earlier, Seahawks fans held their breath.
Turns out, there was nothing to worry about.
From the opening kickoff, Seattle completely took over. Rashid Shaheed set the tone by returning the opening kick 95 yards for a touchdown, and the Seahawks never slowed down from there. What followed was a dominant, all-around performance in a 41–6 blowout of San Francisco at a rocking Lumen Field.
Seattle jumped out to a 17–0 lead early and never looked back. Their top-ranked scoring defense smothered the 49ers for the second straight game, while Kenneth Walker III and a suddenly dangerous run game carried the offense. And despite the injury talk, Darnold looked comfortable all night.
“That’s probably the most complementary game we’ve played all season,” head coach Mike Macdonald said after the win.
The victory was historic in more ways than one. It marked the most lopsided loss of the Kyle Shanahan era in San Francisco, and for Macdonald — coaching his first playoff game after replacing Pete Carroll in 2024 — it was one of the biggest playoff debut wins by a head coach in NFL history.
The atmosphere only added to the moment. It was Seattle’s first playoff game with fans in the stands in nine years, and the crowd was electric from the start. Shaheed’s kickoff return sent Lumen Field into a frenzy that never really died down.
Darnold soaked it all in as he picked up the first playoff win of his eight-year career.
“That kickoff return was special,” Darnold said. “Hearing the stadium rocking like that was unbelievable. The 12s showed up. Our defense did their thing, and offensively we controlled the ball and finished in the red zone.”
As for the injury? Darnold brushed it off.
“I felt great,” he said simply.
The quarterback had tweaked his oblique during practice earlier in the week and chose not to push it. He even skipped pregame warmups on the field, opting to throw in the locker room instead. Once the game began, though, he moved well and threw with confidence, including a first-quarter touchdown strike to Jaxon Smith-Njigba while rolling left.
Darnold finished 12 of 17 for 124 yards with no turnovers before Drew Lock took over late in the fourth quarter. He also earned another $500,000 in incentives with the win.
“Tremendous,” Macdonald said of Darnold. “He took care of the ball, threw on time, and made the plays we needed.”
Seattle’s defense once again stole the spotlight. Brock Purdy was under constant pressure, facing heat on 58% of his dropbacks — the highest pressure rate of his career. The Seahawks forced three takeaways and stopped San Francisco on downs three more times, extending a streak of eight straight quarters without allowing the 49ers into the end zone.
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV led the charge with a forced fumble and an interception, despite dealing with an illness earlier in the week.
Offensively, the Seahawks leaned heavily on the ground game. Walker rushed for 116 yards on 19 carries as Seattle piled up 175 rushing yards total. The majority of that damage came outside the tackles, showing how far the run game has come late in the season.
“It’s everybody,” Macdonald said. “The coaches, the line, K9 — it’s all coming together.”
There were some injury concerns, including Zach Charbonnet and left tackle Charles Cross, but Macdonald sounded optimistic afterward.
By the end of the night, Seattle had matched the largest playoff win in franchise history. Now, with one more home win, the Seahawks are just a step away from another Super Bowl appearance.
“It was a heck of a win,” Macdonald said. “We’ll enjoy it, but the mission isn’t done yet.”
0 Comments