The Seattle Seahawk should’ve won by way more than 10 points in their Week 18 win over the San Francisco 49ers. I’d say they made up for it in the Divisional Round, winning 41-6 and sending the Niners into the offseason. It’s not only the worst loss of the Kyle Shanahan era
, it’s the second-worst loss the 49ers have ever had against the Seahawks in team history. Few Seahawks wins have ever felt this satisfying to watch.For the first time in six years, it’s Enemy Reaction time following a Seahawks
playoff win! We have ourselves a glorious Niners Nation meltdown coming your way, with cameos from other SB Nation sites scattered throughout this beautiful blowout.
Note: It’s hard to fit game thread images into this article without them automatically shrinking. Whether on mobile or a tablet or desktop, you may have to tap the screenshots twice to get the full image dimensions.
Rashid Shaheed takes opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown! (7-0 SEA)
Kyle Juszczyk option play backfires, 49ers turn it over on downs! (7-0 SEA)
Zach Charbonnet stuffed on 3rd and 1, Seahawks kick a field goal (10-0 SEA)
Ernest Jones forces Jake Tonges fumble, Julian Love recovers! (10-0 SEA)
Sam Darnold throws a touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba! (17-0 SEA)
Bonus reaction from Eagles and Giants fans
Jordan Elliott holding penalty extends Seahawks drive (17-6 SEA)
Kenneth Walker III scores huge touchdown before halftime! (24-6 SEA)
Leonard Williams sacks Brock Purdy on 4th down to start second half! (24-6 SEA)
Ernest Jones IV picks off Brock Purdy! (27-6 SEA)
Kenneth Walker III scores again! (34-6 SEA)
Make it a hat trick of touchdowns for Kenneth Walker III! (41-6 SEA)
DeMarcus Lawrence strip-sacks Brock Purdy, Nick Emmanwori recovers! (41-6 SEA FINAL)
Bonus reaction from Cowboys fans
Bonus 49ers meltdown!
Post-game recap: The Seahawks have caught the 49ers and more (Matt Barrows, The Athletic)
Three years ago, the Seahawks fell 41-23 at Levi’s Stadium in the opening round of the playoffs. Then they measured themselves against their rivals, who went to the NFC Championship Game that season. San Francisco was obviously more talented, and the Seahawks were determined to catch them.
Now they’ve done that and more.
The 49ers didn’t score any touchdowns in their last two meetings with the Seahawks. The 41-6 final score Saturday represented the franchise’s second-worst playoff loss ever, behind only the 49-3 drubbing at the Meadowlands when the Giants’ Jim Burt knocked out Joe Montana in 1986.
The defeat also underscored the 49ers’ biggest weaknesses entering the offseason. For the second straight meeting, they couldn’t penetrate the Seahawks’ two-shell defense, with their wide receivers combining for 27 receiving yards. Ricky Pearsall, who appears to be the foundation of the group in future seasons, wasn’t able to come up with a diving snag in the second quarter and finished with no catches on two targets.
Post-game recap: 49ers’ remarkable run fittingly ends in Seattle (Scott Ostler, SF Chronicle)
The Lumen Field house was a-rockin’ and the Seahawks were a-rollin’. This time, there was no stadium takeover by 49ers fans, no legion of “red butts,” the very few who were peppered throughout the 68,000 seats dominated by, sigh, The 12th man. Purdy signaled early to Shanahan that he couldn’t hear his helmet radio. On one play he struggled to convey an audible.
You expect that here, but when the 49ers’ drive to open the second half ended with a sack of Purdy for what felt like a fate-sealer, the stadium shook and trembled.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, whose career was revived two seasons back with a year as Purdy’s backup, failed to live up to his reputation as a big-game fumbler-away-er. Darnold’s league-leading 20 turnovers meant nothing, nor did the oblique he injured in practice during the week. He played cleanly and efficiently, brilliantly even on his one touchdown pass.
It was a comprehensive beatdown, proof that Seattle’s 13-3 win — that felt like much more — over the 49ers two weeks earlier was no fluke.
[…]
For the 49ers, it’s all over but the healing — physically and spiritually. Back to earth and back to the drawing board, but spare a good thought for the conclusion of their season of dreams.
Post-Game video: Mike Macdonald owns Kyle Shanahan (Grant Cohn)
Enemy Preaction: Los Angeles Rams
Beat the Rams. That is all.
Thanks for reading and go ‘Hawks!
