The Seattle Seahawks dismantled the San Francisco 49ers in literally every phase of the game. In fact, this was tied for their most dominant playoff victory of all time, right alongside Super Bowl XLVIII.
Seattle began the game with a bang, thanks to Rashid Shaheed’s 95-yard kick return touchdown. From there, they never let their foot of the pedal for the remainder of the contest. The Seahawks ended San Francisco’s season, and now they get to host the NFC Championship for the fourth time ever… and the first since the 2014 season. As always, we at Seahawks Wire take you through the top takeaways from each game, and we aren’t slowing down now!
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No. 1 – Seahawks rushing attack has officially arrived
One game is one thing. Two is another. Three, and now four, is officially a pattern. Saturday night marked the fourth-straight game the Seahawks have rushed for at 160+ yards as a team. Against the 49ers, Seattle bulldozed their way to 175 on 33 carries. Leading the way was Kenneth Walker III, who had 116 of those yards and all three rushing touchdowns from the night. Backup Zach Charbonnet did leave the game with an injury and was unable to return, but head coach Mike Macdonald seemed optimistic about initial results.
No. 2 – Sam Darnold defied the narrative… again
Sam Darnold has been battling negative bias from the media and opposing fans all season long. This stems from how poorly he played in the Vikings’ last two games to conclude the 2024 campaign – blowout losses in Week 18 and the Wild Card. Darnold proved doubters wrong with wins over the Rams and Niners to close out the 2025 season, but doubts persisted, especially with his sudden oblique issue landing him on the injury report. Darnold was totally solid on Saturday. He may not have blown anyone away, but with how this team is playing, completing 12-of-17 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown (a spectacular one at that!) is more than enough to keep the Seahawks competitive. Darnold will most assuredly continue to face these questions, although there may be less of them going into the NFC Championship.
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No. 3 – Cooper Kupp’s still got it
Kupp has not been utilized this year like he had been throughout his time with the LA Rams. An outsider who does not watch Seahawks games each week might even be forgiven for thinking he’s not much of an impact player anymore. However, for those who do, know what Kupp brings to the Seahawks. Against the 49ers, the Eastern Washington native reminded everyone he is a veteran with plenty of playoff experience. Kupp led Seattle with 60 yards on five receptions and gave the offense a presense at wide receiver opposite Jaxon Smith-Njigba the team needed.
No. 4 – The 4th NFC Championship at Lumen Field
As I mentioned in the introduction, the Seahawks are going to be playing in their fourth ever NFC Championship game. The three previous ones have all taken place at Qwest/CenturyLink/Lumen Field, and now a fourth will join the trio. Of course, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t mention the Seahawks proved to be 3-0 in all of those NFC title games. Whoever emerges from the Rams/Bears game on Sunday will likely be considered a slim underdog at Lumen Field next week, and understandably so.
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No. 5 – John Schneider deserves Executive of the Year
It’s absurd he has never won this award yet. Think about what John Schneider brought to the Seahawks this year: Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp, and DeMarcus Lawrence – who forced yet another fumble on Saturday night. Keep in mind Darnold and Kupp were replacements for Geno Smith and DK Metcalf. Not to mention the draft pick they received from Metcalf eventually became Nick Emmanwori, who recovered said fumble from Lawrence. Oh, let’s not forget the Seahawks acquired Rashid Shaheed at the deadline. Getting a receiver was no on one’s radar, but Schneider identified a way to elevate his team, and Shaheed has rewarded his faith with three return touchdowns in seven games. An absolute game changer. Also, even though they weren’t this year, two other trade deadline acquisitions in the form of Leonard Williams and Ernest Jones IV were All-Pro players this year. Lastly, two of his previous first round picks from 2023, Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, both made the Pro Bowl, and JSN was even first team All-Pro. There is simply no one else more deserving of the award, and the blowout win over San Francisco was seeing his mastery all pay off in one game.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks vs 49ers: Top Seattle takeaways from Divisional Round