How 49ers stack up against the best Seahawks

The Seahawks quarterback and former 49ers backup told Brock Purdy on Jan. 3 that they would see each other in a few weeks. Following the Niners’ 23-19 victory over the Eagles on Sunday in the wild-card round of the playoffs, the NFC West rubber match has begun.

The division foes meet in the divisional round after nearly four months have passed between the 49ers’ season opener and the No. 1 seed win over the Seahawks.

The Niners’ path to Seattle was sealed by them dramatic victory in Philadelphia both defensively and in a win Saturday at the hands of the last team they beat that way: the Chicago Bears, who defeated the Green Bay Packers in a nail-biting wild-card game.

San Francisco is the lowest remaining seed with the expulsion of Green Bay, sending them to the Pacific Northwest.

THIS SEASON’S MATCHES

January 3, 2026

Seahawks 13, 49ers 3

Seattle snapped the 49ers’ six-game winning streak by increasing the run and not giving the receivers a quarter, holding the Niners to just 173 yards (and just 53 rushing). The Seahawks turned the ball over on downs at the 49ers’ 4-yard line and missed a field goal on two of their first three possessions, leaving the door open for a comeback. But the Niners’ offense never got going and produced just nine first downs. The 49ers finally went on a long drive in the fourth quarter, but Brock Purdy’s pass went out of the hands of Christian McCaffrey and into those of Drake Thomas.

September 7, 2025

49ers 17, Seahawks 13

Brock Purdy nailed a drive in the fourth quarter to secure a comeback win. (Sound familiar?) He found Jake Tonges in the corner of the end zone to give the 49ers the lead with 1:34 left in the game. The Seattle offense pushed deep into 49ers territory before Nick Bosa sacked Darnold and forced a fumble recovery to seal the victory. Tonges resigned when Kittle dropped out with a hamstring injury.

49ERS’ OFFENSE VS. SEAHAWKS

Without Ricky Pearsall two weeks ago, the 49ers couldn’t create separation for Purdy to exploit. Against an aggressive defense, Purdy had just 4.0 yards per pass, while the run game also struggled without Trent Williams. McCaffrey had just 23 yards on eight carries. Even in the season opener, McCaffery had just 69 yards on 22 carries, but Purdy came through when it mattered, picking up 15 first downs on the pass as the Niners held the ball for nearly 38 minutes.

49ERS’ DEFENSE VS. SEAHAWKS

Seattle controlled the Week 18 matchup by staying ahead of the chains with its two-back rushing attack. Kenneth Walker III had 97 yards on 16 carries and Zach Charbonnet had 74 yards on 17 carries. That took the pressure off Darnold, who made 20 of 26 in the victory. That wasn’t the case in Week 1, when Seattle managed just 84 yards on the ground against a stout 49ers defense. The Seahawks are a high-turnover team on both sides of the ball, but the 49ers have forced just two runs in the season series — both fumbles in the opener.

INJURY WATCH

49ers: Kittle’s Achilles tendon injury is just the latest in their long line of health issues this season. Kyle Shanahan said the chances of Fred Warner (ankle) returning in time for the divisional round were slim. Pearsall (knee, ankle) missed a second straight game on Sunday, and Dee Winters (ankle) also missed the playoff opener. Ji’Ayir suffered a hamstring injury in Philadelphia and Shanahan was not optimistic about his performance in Seattle.

Seahawks: Seattle has had a week to rest after the regular season finale. Left tackle Charles Cross missed that game with a hamstring injury, as did safety Coby Bryant with a knee problem.

PLAYOFF HISTORY

The teams only faced each other twice in the playoffs, as Seattle was not part of the NFC until 2002, causing the pair to split.