On the first play of the divisional round game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed ran the ball back for a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown. It was a sign of things to come.
A battle of NFC West rivals turned into a massacre in Seattle on Saturday, as the home team bulldozed the Niners 41-6. Its reward will be its first trip to the NFC championship game since 2015, where it will face the winner of Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was questionable entering the game with an oblique injury sustained in practice this week, but he ended up playing. He didn’t have to do much, as the Seattle defense dominated the Niners as much as we’ve seen in San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan era, while the run game posted 175 yards and three touchdowns.
Advertisement
Kenneth Walker III finished with 116 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.
By the end of the first quarter, it was 17-0. By halftime, it was 24-6. By the end of the third quarter, it was 34-6. Darnold was out of the game early in the fourth quarter. The Niners pulled Brock Purdy for Mac Jones a drive later.
The Seahawks only outgained the Niners 281-236. The real damage was the turnovers, as San Francisco lost two fumbles, threw an interception and went 0-for-3 on fourth down attempts.
The Niners didn’t punt until the final five minutes of the game, which is usually a sign of offensive dominance. In this case, it was because of disaster after disaster in front of a jubilant Lumen Field.
Advertisement
That offense was already limited with a spate of injuries, the latest of which was the loss of star tight end George Kittle to an Achilles tear, and further felt the pain when Christian McCaffrey sustained a shoulder stinger. The All-Pro running back kept playing in the second half after being announced as questionable, but the game was far too out of hand to move the needle.
Jake Tonges, the next man up at tight end after Kittle, also went down with a non-contact foot injury in the third quarter. And the 49ers have been missing their two best defensive players, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, to injury for months now, though Warner returned to practice this week after a suffering ankle injury in Week 6.
The end result of this game was the Seahawks in the conference championship game, but the message was that they are capable of so much more.
Advertisement
The team led the NFL in point differential this year and managed to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a 14-3 record despite having two 12-5 teams in its division. It backed every bit of that regular season performance up with its first playoff game.
Here’s how it all went down at Yahoo Sports:
Live coverage is over52 updatesSat, January 17, 2026 at 5:43 PM PST
Jack Baer
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 8:15 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
It’s on to the NFC championship, the franchise’s fifth, for the Seahawks.
Sam Darnold on his oblique: “It felt good.”
Lots of things feel good for Seattle, who will host the conference title game against either the Los Angeles Rams or Chicago Bears.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 8:08 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Brock Purdy joins his counterpart Sam Darnold on the bench as this game is all but over. Backup Mac Jones will finish this out for the Niners.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 8:01 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Seattle’s defense isn’t letting up.
DeMarcus Lawrence sacked Brock Purdy and forced a fumble that Nick Emmanwori recovered for Seattle.
Drew Lock is now in the game at QB for Seattle. Sam Darnold gets a rest for the rest of the night.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:52 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Seattle is pounding the rock, giving Sam Darnold’s oblique a bit of a rest, early in the fourth quarter and have hit 40-burger status after Kenneth Walker III scored his third TD of the night.
It’s all but over in Seattle. Now it’s a guessing game of who will give the Seahawks a better contest in the NFC title game: the Chicago Bears or Los Angeles Rams.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:42 PM PST
Jack Baer
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:41 PM PST
Jack Baer
Two straight incompletions on 3rd-and-3 and 4th-and-4 gives the ball back to the Seahawks. There are 41 seconds left in the third quarter, but this game is over.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:34 PM PST
Jack Baer
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:34 PM PST
Jack Baer
Kenneth Walker runs it in from 15 yards out. Barring one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history, the Seahawks are headed to the NFC championship game.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:32 PM PST
Jack Baer
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:26 PM PST
Jack Baer
This ain’t the Niners’ night. Ernest Jones IV picks off Brock Purdy in Niners territory and this could soon be a four-score lead.
But on the bright side, Christian McCaffrey was back in on that drive.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:23 PM PST
Jack Baer
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:20 PM PST
Jack Baer
Jason Myers makes the chip shot on a drive derailed by a first-down sack in the red zone. The Niners now need to come back from down three touchdowns, on the road, potentially without Christian McCaffrey.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:18 PM PST
Jack Baer
Fox Sports’ Tom Rinaldi reports Christian McCaffrey is questionable to return with a shoulder stinger. Tight end Jake Tonges, the Niners’ George Kittle replacement, is also questionable with a foot injury.
Just an all-around disaster for San Francisco through two-and-a-half quarters.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:13 PM PST
Jack Baer
Seattle begins the second half with a turnover on downs. Leonard Williams broke through SF O-line for a sack on 4th-and-2. Still all Seahawks here.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:12 PM PST
Jack Baer
The Niners’ star RB hasn’t seen the field on this drive, after appearing to sustain a shoulder injury in the first half.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 7:10 PM PST
Jack Baer
The Niners were facing a three-and-out to open the second half, but Brock Purdy avoided a sack and completed a 19-yard pass to Jauan Jennings. A huge play.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 6:55 PM PST
Brock Purdy let it fly as time ticked off the clock, and the 49ers nearly had it. Alas, they’ll head into the locker room facing an 18-point deficit against the Seahawks.
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 6:48 PM PST
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 6:43 PM PST
Jack Baer
Sat, January 17, 2026 at 6:39 PM PST
Jack Baer
The Rashid Shaheed trade continues to pay off. An end-around with the speedster becomes a 30-yard gain.
The Seahawks are in San Francisco territory as we hit the two-minute warning.