The energy at Lumen Field tonight was electric. You could feel the hum of the crowd before even stepping inside. Fans were vibrating. It was the Divisional Round, the stakes were sky-high, and the San Francisco 49ers were in town for the third time this season. People weren't just looking for the final score of the Seattle Seahawks game; they were looking for a statement.
Seattle delivered.
Honestly, the way Mike Macdonald has this defense playing is just different. They aren't just stopping teams; they are taking their souls. After the dust settled in the rainy Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Seahawks walked away with a gritty 24-17 victory over the 49ers, punching their ticket to the NFC Championship.
How the Seahawks pulled it off
It wasn't always pretty. Playoff football rarely is. Sam Darnold, playing through a nagging left oblique injury that had everyone in Seattle holding their breath all week, looked surprisingly poised. He didn't need to be a hero; he just needed to be efficient.
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- The Ground Game: Zach Charbonnet is a hammer. He finished the night with 102 rushing yards and a crucial touchdown in the third quarter that finally broke the 10-10 deadlock.
- Defensive Masterclass: Leonard Williams and Devon Witherspoon were everywhere. Brock Purdy was under duress the entire second half.
- Red Zone Efficiency: Seattle went 3-for-4 in the red zone. In a one-score game, that is the whole season right there.
The 49ers were missing George Kittle, and boy, did it show. Without their safety valve, San Francisco struggled to stay on the schedule. Christian McCaffrey had his moments—because he’s McCaffrey—but the Seahawks’ top-ranked scoring defense held him to just 64 yards on the ground.
Key Moments that decided the final score of the Seattle Seahawks game
The turning point? It had to be the forced fumble by Ernest Jones early in the fourth quarter. The 49ers were driving, looking to tie it at 17. Jones punched the ball out of Deebo Samuel’s hands, and Boye Mafe fell on it. The stadium nearly collapsed from the noise.
Seattle took that momentum and marched 60 yards, capped by a Sam Darnold strike to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That made it 24-10. Even though San Francisco managed a late touchdown to make it 24-17, the outcome never really felt in doubt after that turnover.
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People talk about the "12th Man" being a cliché, but tonight, it was a factor. The 49ers had three pre-snap penalties in the fourth quarter alone. You can't win in Seattle when you can't hear the snap count.
Looking ahead to the NFC Championship
So, what does this mean for the Hawks? They are back in the NFC Championship for the first time in years. They look like a complete team. The defense is scary, the offense is doing enough, and they have home-field advantage through the rest of the playoffs.
Basically, if you aren't taking this team seriously as a Super Bowl contender, you haven't been watching. Mike Macdonald has transformed the culture in one season. Gone are the days of "bend but don't break." This unit just breaks the opponent.
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If you’re planning on following the next step of this playoff run, keep a close eye on Sam Darnold’s health. That oblique injury didn't seem to limit him too much tonight, but another week of recovery will be vital before they face the winner of the Rams and Bears matchup.
To get the most out of the upcoming championship week, here is what you should do:
- Monitor the injury report: Specifically for Sam Darnold and Leonard Williams, who limped off late in the fourth.
- Check the ticket markets early: If the NFC Championship stays at Lumen Field, prices are going to skyrocket past the $600 mark.
- Rewatch the defensive tape: If you want to see how to modernly bracket a Kyle Shanahan offense, this game was a clinic.
The road to the Super Bowl officially runs through Seattle.