1) Darnold must play more efficiently vs. battered 49ers defense
Sam Darnold answered some of his critics in Week 16 with his late heroics against the Rams, which helped flip the divisional hierarchy and set up this winner-take-all game in Santa Clara. But in last week’s win at Carolina, Darnold also lost a fumble, threw an interception and was lucky to have not had multiple other passes picked. The Seahawks have lived dangerously with their 28 turnovers this season, and Darnold has been responsible for 20 of those (14 INTs, six fumbles lost), with more turnovers (10) than touchdowns accounted for (eight) since Week 11. He’s also been at the wheel of 27 victories the past two seasons, so Darnold is doing something right. If he can harness his playmaking ability while limiting turnovers, the Seahawks could be in great shape. The 49ers’ pass rush has struggled, with only 18 sacks — eight fewer than the next-lowest team. That could mean intermediate targets for the Seahawks’ talented tight ends and deep shots for wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, especially off play action from the Seahawks’ run game, although the status of WR Rashid Shaheed (concussion) is unclear.