Arguably the biggest head-to-head matchup of Week 18 is for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, home-field advantage in the playoffs, and the NFC West title. It’s the Seattle Seahawks traveling south to the Bay Area to face the San Francisco 49ers for all the marbles. Both franchises come in riding six-game winning streaks. These teams opened the season in Seattle, and nearly four months later, they’ll meet again in a high-stakes battle for the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Seattle held off Carolina in Week 17 to set up this showdown with the Niners for the division crown and top seed in the NFC. The Seahawks have not tasted defeat since Week 11 (Nov. 16) when they lost their first meeting of the year with the Rams, 21-19. They bounced back to beat LA in overtime during a Week 15 showdown, 38-37. That win catapulted the Seahawks into first place in the conference, and they can clinch it by defeating the Niners in the season’s final game.
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The 49ers have been one of the hottest teams over the last six weeks and have not lost since quarterback Brock Purdy returned to the lineup from injury. They’ll need to finish a sweep of the Seahawks in Week 18 to claim the No. 1 spot in the conference and win a third NFC West title in four years.
Seahawks-49ers start time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium | Santa Clara, California
TV channel, live stream: ESPN, ABC, NFL+
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Seahawks and 49ers clash in a quest to win the No. 1 seed in the NFC in Week 18.
Live9 updates
Sat, January 3, 2026 at 5:25 PM PST
Andy Backstrom
And…the decision didn’t pay off.
Sat, January 3, 2026 at 5:23 PM PST
Andy Backstrom
A defensive pass interference penalty on 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who was trying to cover Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njgba, set up a first-and-goal for Seattle from the San Francisco 1-yard line.
But then, instead of throwing to running back Zach Charbonnet in the flat, Sam Darnold wound up taking a sack.
On second- and third-and-goal, Charbonnet gained back eight of the 11 yards Darnold lost.
A normally conservative Seattle team broke tendency and rolled the dice on fourth-and-goal, however, Darnold’s pass intended for wideout Cooper Kupp was off the mark.
So a 12-play, 66-yard drive that took 7:37 amounts to zero points.
Sat, January 3, 2026 at 5:13 PM PST
Andy Backstrom
Seattle has already picked up a pair of first downs, the second of which resulted from running back Kenneth Walker III taking a Sam Darnold screen pass 20 yards all the way into San Francisco territory.
Sat, January 3, 2026 at 4:51 PM PST
Andy Backstrom
NFC West pride, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs are on the line in San Francisco. Buckle up for a good one.
Sat, January 3, 2026 at 4:45 PM PST
Kate Magdziuk
Get your TVs set! The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers face off in a bid for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Who will come out on top?
Find out soon, as the teams kick off from Levi’s Stadium at 8 p.m. ET, airing live on ESPN and ABC with live stream available on NFL+!
Sat, January 3, 2026 at 4:15 PM PST
Jason Fitz, Caroline Fenton
Sat, January 3, 2026 at 4:00 PM PST
Sean Leahy
The Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks lead the way with each team sending six players to the Pro Bowl Games this year. Right behind them with five selections each are the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles.
Notably for the Niners, Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers has now been selected to 12 Pro Bowls, making him the fourth offensive lineman since 1970 to make a dozen trips.
No other fullback in NFL history has been selected to more Pro Bowls than Kyle Juszczyk (10) of the 49ers.
Here’s a look at those to make the Pro Bowl this year on each roster, with asterisks denoting starters:
Seahawks Pro Bowlers49ers Pro BowlersSat, January 3, 2026 at 3:45 PM PST
Kate Magdziuk
The NFC West is certainly a powerhouse in 2025, and the current odds to win Super Bowl LX at BetMGM Sportsbook reflect that perfectly.
Among the 16 teams remaining in contention to hoist the Lombardi this year, the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers are three of the top four teams favored to win.
The Rams and Seahawks currently are tied as odds favorites entering Week 18 at +550 odds, followed by the Broncos (+800) and 49ers (+850) to round out the top four contenders based on current lines.
The winner of Seahawks-49ers will win the No. 1 seed in the NFC, earning a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Intriguingly, Super Bowl LX will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara this year — home to the San Francisco 40ers — which means that with a win, the Niners could be in play to close out the year with three straight home games, should they win out through the playoffs.
Sat, January 3, 2026 at 3:30 PM PST
Kate Magdziuk
With less than 90 minutes remaining until the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers kick off on Saturday night, each team has announced its Week 18 inactives for gameday.
Here’s a look:
Seahawks inactives49ers inactives