Saturday Night will have massive implications for the NFC. The Seattle Seahawks are travelling to face the San Francisco 49ers, with the No. 1 seed in the conference and a division title on the line. For the Seahawks, if they win, the conference goes through one of the most challenging road environments in the NFL. If the 49ers win, they will have home-field advantage throughout the entirety of the postseason, including the Super Bowl. Let’s dive into this battle between these two bitter rivals.
Seahawks’ Dominance
With the acquisition of Sam Darnold in free agency, Seattle looked to stabilize the quarterback position for the near future. He has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, even last season when he played for the Minnesota Vikings. Despite his tendency to be turnover-prone at times, you live with the lows as long as he delivers the highs. He and Jaxon Smith-Njigba have had quite the connection. JSN leads the NFL in receiving yards (1,709) and was on pace for 2000 yards for most of the season.
Seven of the team’s 13 wins have come by double digits—the true definition of dominance. Their smothering defense leads them. That “Legion of Boom 2.0” ranks 2nd in points allowed, 12th in passing yards allowed, 3rd in rushing yards allowed, 2nd in offensive touchdowns allowed, 8th in sacks, and 5th in takeaways. Do they have many household names? No, but the head coach, Mike McDonald, has built this team from the ground up since taking the head coaching job for the Seahawks.
San Fransico’s Schematic Excellence
After the loss of Fred Warner and Nick Bosa for the rest of the season, there were doubts about the 49ers’ ability to compete this season. The job Robert Salah has done with this defense has been something I don’t think even he would have imagined after losing the two best players on his side of the ball. If you had told me they would lose Warner and Bosa and still be ranked 13th in points allowed, I wouldn’t have believed you.
The strength of their team is their offense, led by Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey. Purdy is one of the hottest players in the NFL, with 13 total touchdowns and only three turnovers in his last three games. Speaking of piping hot, that describes this offense to a T, scoring 25+ in seven of their previous eight games.
What To Expect Saturday Night?
Both teams are riding six-game winning streaks entering the last week of the regular season. What will happen when these two NFC titans clash on primetime? I expect a high-scoring affair. Both teams are in the top ten in points scored, passing yards per game, offensive touchdowns, and turnovers per game. Ten games have qualified for game of the year; this has the makings of another contender.
The last time these two teams played, back in Week 1, the 49ers defeated the Seahawks 17-13. Purdy had 277 yards, two passing TDs, and two interceptions, while CMC finished with 142 scrimmage yards. As for Seattle, JSN had his first big game of the season with nine catches for 142 yards. Darnold was leading a potential game-winning drive until Bosa forced Seattle’s offensive tackle into Sam’s wrist, which forced a fumble that clinched the 9ers’ win.
The Seahawks will win round two. Despite the fire in which Purdy is playing, this Seattle defense is playing with the means of one of the best we have seen in the past five seasons. Everyone hits hard, everyone tackles, and no one takes a play off. The 9ers’ defense has been playing above its means, and it will show Saturday night when they allow 28+ and their offense can’t make up for it.
Final Thoughts
This will be a great way to begin the last weekend of the regular season, and the Seahawks will position themselves to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015. Who do you think wins the game, and who will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl?
As always, thank you so much for checking out my thoughts on who will take the number one seed in the NFC between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks! Be sure to check out our other amazing content here at New Leaf News! We hope you’re enjoying your day, and we look forward to seeing you all again soon.
