The San Francisco 49ers faced the Seattle Seahawks to begin and end the regular season, then again in the Divisional playoff round. If there is any team in the league that could provide takeaways from playing Seattle, it’s the Niners.
With the Super Bowl a couple of days away, we wondered what the 49ers could learn from the Seahawks and New England Patriots. It’s an open-ended question and could be about anything from roster building to the coaching staff. Let’s talk through this.
One team drafted
a quarterback third overall to become the face of their franchise, while the other paidits quarterback $5.5 million in guarantees in 2025 last offseason. Even this week, you’re still hearing and reading about whether you can trust Sam Darnold.
That feels unfair for a quarterback who has the 7th-highest passer rating of any quarterback in the playoffs. In fact, Darnold has the highest passer rating of any quarterback prior to reaching the quarterack since Patrick Mahomes in 2019. He’s made throws and big plays while avoiding the back-breaking turnover.
Drake Maye is on the other side of the argument, becoming one of three quarterbacks to win three playoff games despite completing less than 60 percent of his passes in the postseason. Maye was incredible during the regular season, and his mobility should give Seattle problems on Sunday.
The point is you don’t necessarily need elite quarterback play to reach the Super Bowl. Maye put up an MVP-like season, but the schedule the Patriots played left plenty to be desired. Meanwhile, Darnold was 19th in the NFL in passing attempts and still was third in the league in interceptions.
It’s a minor miracle that New England made it this far. Maye threw for 86 yards in the AFC Championship. The Patriots averaged 3.2 yards per play and scored on two of their 13 drives. The week prior against Houston, the Patriots were 3-for-14 on third down, had three turnovers, and somehow won. So maybe the 49ers can learn to be fortunate or lucky, or to play a team that committed five turnovers.
We’ve addressed the 49ers’ need to get faster to help generate more explosive plays. Against the Rams, Seattle had a couple of double-digit carries, but had 42 and 51-yard receptions, not to mention a handful of other double-digit gains. Surprisingly, the Patriots had the same amount of success against a stingy defense in Houston.
Looking through box scores and remembering how often throughout the season both the Seahawks and Patriots converted third-and-long situations highlights the 49ers’ need for a “ball winner” or game changer at receiver even more. Maye made it work without one, but Darnold leaned on the best wideout in the game.
Ultimately, parity in the NFL and the different variables these teams faced make it difficult to pinpoint one or even two things the 49ers could learn from them. Seattle hit on their top draft picks in recent years and is reaping the rewards. The 49ers might be playing this weekend if they faced the quarterbacks New England did.
Is there anything in your eyes that the Niners could learn from the teams playing in the Super Bowl?
