You know that feeling when you wake up on a playoff Sunday and the entire landscape of the league has shifted? That's exactly where we are right now. Saturday was a absolute fever dream for anyone following the NFL football scores. We saw a dominant blowout in Seattle and a heart-stopping overtime thriller in the thin air of Denver.
Honestly, if you had Sam Darnold and Bo Nix as the quarterbacks leading their teams to the conference championships back in August, you're either a time traveler or a liar. But here we are. The Divisional Round usually delivers, but the gap between these games was wild.
The Seahawks Throttled the Niners (41-6)
Seattle didn't just win; they deleted the San Francisco 49ers from the postseason. It took exactly 13 seconds for the tone to be set. Rashid Shaheed took the opening kickoff 95 yards to the house, and Lumen Field basically turned into a tectonic plate shift.
The Niners looked like a shell of themselves. You've got to feel for Kyle Shanahan, even if you hate the team. They were playing without George Kittle, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner. It’s hard to beat a JV team with those kinds of absences, let alone a Mike Macdonald defense that is currently playing like the 2013 Legion of Boom reincarnated.
Kenneth Walker III is a Problem
Walker tied Shaun Alexander’s franchise record with three rushing touchdowns. He finished with 116 yards on 19 carries. It was demoralizing to watch. The Niners' defenders were slow to get up by the third quarter, just gassed from chasing #9 around.
- Final Score: Seattle 41, San Francisco 6
- Key Stat: The Seahawks defense hasn't allowed the Niners a touchdown in eight straight quarters of football.
- The Injury Bug: Christian McCaffrey dealt with a stinger and eventually left for good. Seattle lost Zach Charbonnet to a knee injury, but with Walker playing like that, they might be okay.
Sam Darnold got his first career playoff win, which is a sentence I still can't quite wrap my head around. He was efficient, moving the ball well despite a lingering oblique issue. Seattle is now one win away from their first Super Bowl appearance in 11 years.
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Denver Survives a Classic, but the Cost Was High
While Seattle was a blowout, the early game between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos was a pure slugfest. It ended 33-30 in overtime after Wil Lutz nailed a 23-yard field goal. But the NFL football scores tell a tragic story for Denver fans today.
Bo Nix is done.
The rookie phenom broke his right ankle on the final series. Sean Payton confirmed he’s heading for surgery on Tuesday. It’s a brutal blow for a team that hasn't seen the AFC Championship in a decade.
Josh Allen’s Playoff Curse Continues
Buffalo had every chance to win this. They put up 449 yards of offense. Josh Allen was making plays with his legs and his arm, but those four turnovers were the dagger. The most controversial moment? A deep shot to Brandin Cooks in overtime that was intercepted by Ja'Quan McMillian. Sean McDermott was livid on the sideline, questioning the ruling, but the call stood.
Two pass-interference penalties on Tre'Davious White on the following drive basically handed the game to Denver. White was so frustrated he threw his helmet and caught an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It was ugly.
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What Most People Get Wrong About These Scores
People look at a 41-6 score and think the Niners are "frauds." They aren't. They were just broken. You cannot lose three All-Pros on defense and your best offensive weapon (Kittle) and expect to compete with the #1 seed on the road.
On the flip side, the Broncos' win looks "lucky" because of the penalties. But Vance Joseph’s defense has been making those splash plays all year. They forced three fumbles and a pick against one of the best offenses in the league. That’s not luck; that’s a philosophy.
Looking Ahead to the Conference Championships
Seattle is waiting on the winner of the Rams-Bears game. If it's Chicago, we get a Caleb Williams vs. Sam Darnold matchup for a trip to the Super Bowl. Imagine telling yourself that two years ago.
Denver has to move forward with Jarrett Stidham. It’s a tall task. Stidham is 1-3 as a starter in his career, and now he has to lead a team into the biggest game of the decade.
Actionable Insights for the Next Round
If you’re looking at the betting lines or just trying to sound smart at the water cooler, keep these specific factors in mind based on these scores:
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Monitor the Seattle Offensive Line
Charles Cross left the game with a foot injury. If he’s out next week, that elite Seattle pass protection becomes a massive question mark, regardless of how good Kenneth Walker III is playing.
Don't Count Out Denver's Defense
Even without Bo Nix, the Broncos have a defense that thrives on "bend-but-don't-break" football. They allowed 449 yards to Buffalo but only 30 points. They are the masters of the red-zone stand.
The Fatigue Factor
San Francisco’s exhaustion was visible. Seattle, having earned that first-round bye, looked fresh. Pay close attention to how the Sunday winners (who didn't have a bye) look in the fourth quarter next weekend.
The road to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara is narrowing. Seattle looks like the juggernaut everyone feared, while Denver is the gritty survivor trying to find a way to win without their leader. Whatever happens next, the Divisional Round proved that in the playoffs, the only thing that matters is the final number on the scoreboard.