Featuring postgame quotes from the following:

Head Coach Mike Macdonald

All right. First, what an atmosphere. Holy smokes. The 12s, just our organization putting on a great setting. You do try to actually try to take some time and look around and just understand how incredibly blessed we are with the best fans in the world. It definitely made an impact to start the game. I just want to appreciate this. That was awesome, freakin' awesome. In terms of our team, I mean that's probably the most complementary game we've played up to this point, and obviously starting the game out with the kickoff return for a touchdown was tremendous. Again, excited to see the blocks on that play, but a great return by Rashid (Shaheed). And then just kept stacking plays, the takeaways on defense. Kept playing. The quarterback's (Brock Purdy) a hard guy to contain and he makes plays and you can't get frustrated; you gotta keep playing. And then offensively to be able to control the ball, ball never being in jeopardy, being able to run it, scoring in the red zone, all those things we've been trying to do finally coming to life. And you just keep stacking those things. And it was a heck of a win, man. It's funny, in the locker room, we're really excited, we're very proud of the effort. And the guys understand that there's still a mission at hand. We got another week coming up here that we need to take care of business every day, and that's the focus. Proud of the group. We'll celebrate today, guys will be off tomorrow and be back on Monday.

When did you know for sure that Sam (Darnold) was going to play? And what was kind of the process there with that?

Well, I mean from what we told you, it's how it was going down. There was a, 'Hey, he could come out here and throw it and feel terrible, and then we would have to pivot.' But from what he was saying and what the guys were saying, what the medical team was saying, it seemed like he was going to be able to give it a go. So that's basically what happened. Based on his communication with us, it felt like he was confident. So that's where we're at.

What did you think about the way he (Darnold) played?

Tremendous, tremendous. Couple of plays early that I think to get in the swing of things. But I say "manage" the game as a very high-powered compliment. Just throwing it on time, taking care of the ball, making the plays when we need to. I think there's going to be some explosives out there that maybe we could get to. But, shoot, I thought there's a lot of operation stuff that he did that really helped us as well.

Talk about field position and third downs and the last time you played the 49ers. What was it tonight that (indiscernible).

Our kickoff team was tremendous. This is probably one of the best kickoff return teams in the league. Mike Morris had some tremendous plays. Tyrice Knight had some great plays. That really helped us start those drives. That was awesome. And then we gave up some more third downs this game than we did last game, but the guys were able to really kind of regroup, go to the next play. I think some of those we ended up in some takeaways. That was awesome. The fourth-down stops, flipped field position, so that was huge.

In the way this league goes with people running on fourth down so much more, for a defense, kind of almost more than a turnover of the ball, did you get the field position benefit out of it?

Right, they don't count them as takeaways, but that's really what they are. We started the year kind of slow on fourth downs on defense. So to our coaches' credit and our players' credit, we identified it's something we want to improve on. It kind of worked the problem, and the guys, they come to life on fourth down. It's pretty cool.

What specific aspect on fourth down did you work on?

I think you get what you emphasize. We talked about it, we prepped it more in practice, created more situations. It's that simple.

Rashid (Shaheed) has made a big difference. You acquired him in-season, you're the head coach; you've get a million things going on, I'm sure you're in consultation with personnel, but what did you think you were getting, how much did you know?

Well, he was someone that I know that we were targeting throughout the process. And I mean that's John (Schneider) and the personnel folks that made it come to life. So, shout-out to him. Turns out, it was a luxury, initially, because of our receiver situation, but with Tory (Horton) going down it ended up being a great move. It was a great move initially. But from my perspective and the coaches' perspective he's a player that we really respect. When he's catching the ball in kickoff return, you're like, 'Oh, here we go, we've got to contain this guy.' When he's on the field on offense, you can't let him get behind you as well. The receiver run game is something you have to account for as well. It really does help the team big time. So, shout out to John.

You talk about rosters all year long. Now that you've seen that process work in the playoffs, what kind of confidence does that build?

It's nice to get confirmation in how you do stuff, but we're going to do the same thing. We're going to do what we do game after game and try to nail the heck out of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and just keep stacking it. And I'll tell you what, our players' demeanor and attitude has really just made that whole philosophy come to life. And they've been tremendous.

Going off the question on Rashid (Shaheed), John's (Schneider) made trades at the trade deadline each of the past three years. Looking big picture, what you guys are building, seeing Ernest (Jones IV) get the two turnovers today, a trade-deadline acquisition, ended up getting the sack…

Two All-Pros in trade, that's pretty good.

What does that say, (what's it like to) just see that coming to life here in a game of this magnitude, those buttons being pushed?

I mean obviously, trading for Leonard (Williams), before that we were here, but I think it's just the same attitude, we're relentless. I mean, what do you want to call it? You want to call it chasing edges? That's the language that we use. Our philosophy is we're just constantly chasing it. What are the things that we can do to make our team better all the time? Whether it's through acquisition or a period in practice or maybe it's something pregame, scheme, personnel. All those things, it's a relentless attitude to try to always make the team better.

From Thursday's practice until pregame, how many times did Sam (Darnold) throw the ball? Did he even try?

That's a question for him. Wasn't many.

What's the early indication on the (Zach) Charbonnet and (Charles) Cross injuries?

Optimistic with Charbs (Zach Charbonnet). We've got to get an image and stuff, but early indications are hopefully it's okay structurally. But you never know with these things, but he wasn't able to come back, obviously. And Charles (Cross) was really out of a caution. We were in a position where we didn't need him to come back, but still we're going to have to work through it with his foot. I don't have an indication of what that's going to look like.

Ernest Jones IV has been a big leader for you guys since he got here, just for him to come through two takeaways, just everything he did in this game?

No, it was great. Look, this guy was not in a good spot on Football Thursday (Wednesday). So for him to kind of get up to speed, get ready to play. The guys follow his lead. Two tremendous plays to really change the course of the game with those takeaways.

(On if the game plan changed because of Sam Darnold's injury…)

Not to my knowledge.

Cooper Kupp has been a guy that's meant so much to this team all season. Ball's not always finding him in a playoff game, to lead you guys in receiving and receptions…

I didn't know that, but that's awesome. That's really great. Every catch that he makes seems like it's in some sort of high-leverage situation. I mean, this guy's made an absolute massive impact on our team. Add that to a Hall of Fame career is pretty cool. Glad he's a Seahawk.

(On if he called a timeout on their first 4^thdown…)

Yeah. I think I called time. They called it.

You got to see quite a bit of Amari Kight here in the past few weeks. How did you see him progress during the course of the season, big block there?

An example of a guy getting an opportunity, and it's cool to hear it on the headset where you feel like we've got a play called. And J.B. (John Benton), our line coach, is, like, I can't wait to see Amari (Kight) on this play. What else needs to be said? You're just excited for him to show what he can do. He's earned the opportunity. Just done a great job. He's been working his tail off for an opportunity to show up and took advantage of it.

What was the vibe in the building the last couple of days? Your quarterback gets hurt two days before a playoff game. Was that kind of a jolt?

It was just like, let's work the problem, let's figure it out. The guys were steady. We were confident. I felt like everybody but the players were the ones that were worried about it. It's kind of cool.

You've had four straight games with over 160 yards rushing. That's something you guys have been working on all year. What are you seeing on the offensive line?

Yeah, tremendous. It's everybody. Our coaches deserve a ton of credit. K9 (Kenneth Walker III) obviously had a great game. A lot of it is coming on wide zone, you know that's something that we've been having to work all year and that's where we hang our hat on, so it's great to see it come to life.

So many young players for you guys playing in their first playoff game. How do you think they approached it (inaudible)?

Yeah, been the message, looking at a guy this is my first playoff game, we weren't going to let that be an excuse, though, hey, we're a young team, or we've got a young coach. It's a first whatever. It's like, no, it's like this is the next game. It's week 19. We've treated literally every game every practice every workout every walk through the same about we're trying to we're trying to nail it whatever's put in front of us. We're trying to nail it. So we had a great opportunity here at home. But that's what it was, you know, and our guys did it, and that's what we're going to focus on, so we're going to handle it from here on out.

QB Sam Darnold

Obviously a good team win, really good team win from the first snap. The kickoff, that guy (Rashid Shaheed) taking it to the house. That was special. To hear that stadium, too, rocking the way it was tonight, unbelievable, man. The 12s came out. It was fun. Our defense doing their thing. And as an offense, too, the ball control, I feel like that was huge for us all game and finishing in the red zone. We harped on that these last couple of weeks of working. And I feel like we just controlled the football and finished in the red zone, and that was the story tonight.

What was your pain level tonight?

I felt great.

Could you just take us through what your pregame routine was? It seemed like it changed.

Yeah, so obviously I didn't go out for the non-padded warm-up. I think that kind of stirred some questions, which was funny. No, I got to throw in here, and did the same thing, did my routine in here. Once I put the pads on and got that padded warm-up, I wanted to be rolling. I didn't want to waste any time getting warm on the field and coming in, having 40 minutes to get warm again and then go back out. I just wanted to get warm once and then go back out there in the pads. So that was why I did it that way.

When you say you threw in here, where is in here?

In the locker room. We have a ton of space. I was just throwing back and forth, got warm, and was able to go out there, like I said, in pads and throw it.

What does winning your first playoff game mean to you? I know it's only been two, but you've been in the league for years.

It's huge. I don't take it for granted whatsoever. It's just a special group. I think that's the biggest thing, and that's why it means so much. Just the way those guys are in the locker room, ever since I got here. They were tight before I got here, obviously, but just the way that they took me in as one of their own. And that's what's so special about this league in general. You make so many great relationships throughout this whole process. And that locker room and these coaches, you know, just the way that we play together. That's the reason why I play this game, and they've made it really easy for me to come in here ever since I did in April to be able to help lead this team and drive the ball down the field, score touchdowns, all those things.

Did you feel you could do everything you normally do? Were you limited at all with the injury?

No, I felt really good. Felt really good.

You bounced around for a long time now. What would it mean for this to be home? You obviously sunk your teeth into this place now.

I think, for me, I'm just taking it one game at a time. It's what I've always done my entire career. I'm not going to look past that.

Was there any hesitation on some of throws early, or was it, like, I can let it rip no matter what?

No, I was going to let it rip no matter what. That was never a question in my mind. Because if I wasn't able to give it 100 percent then I think I would be doing this team a disservice. So I was going to let it rip, and if my body said, no, you're not going to do that, then I would have told my coaches and we would have gone from there.

What's it like watching this defense? No touchdowns in eight quarters now, just watching that defense operate.

No, our defense has been amazing throughout the entire year. They've had our back. We've had their back in certain situations. Our special teams, I can't say enough great things about them. But yeah, it's really fun to play with a defense like that that has your back throughout the entire season, and especially when you get big games like this one.

I know you said you're going to let it rip no matter what, but when you took that first big hit near the sideline, did you feel anything?

No, like I said, I felt good, and if I did get hurt, I feel like you all would have probably known about it. So, no, I felt really good the entire game. And any hits I did take I didn't feel it on that side.

Cooper Kupp led you guys in receiving this game. This hasn't always been his role this season. What has he meant to you and this offense?

Coop's (Kupp) been great. He's obviously such a great leader for us. But the way he's stepped up -- I don't think people realize what he does in the run game as a blocker. He's one of the best if not the best run-blocking receiver that I've ever seen, or in the NFL throughout his entire career. And with the accolades and everything that he's done in the NFL, to be unselfish like that in the run game, it's something special. But, yeah, he's obviously been showing up, throughout practice and training camp, all those things as a receiver and catching the rock. And so for him to do that in a game and in games, especially in big-time games, that's huge for us.

(On the touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba…)

I felt the safety's demeanor, I feel he wasn't running full speed and Jax (Smith-Njigba) was. And I knew Jax was going to outrun him to the corner of the end zone.

What does it mean to you to have the opportunity to play for an NFC Championship?

It's big for us to, especially to play here in an NFC Championship at Lumen (Field) with the 12s behind us. It doesn't get any better than that.

When you guys got the lead and you were able to run with such physical brutality, what does it feel like out there? Do you feel like the defense was wearing down? And how much confidence did you generate from it?

No, it's just I think for us as an offense, we understand what we're capable of. We've showed glimpses of it throughout the season. And I think these last few games we've proven, our offensive line, our tight ends have proven what we can do running the football. We're just going to continue to watch the tape, get better and see where we can go from here.

Is this (oblique injury) something you feel you're going to have to continue to manage for the rest of the playoffs?

Yes, absolutely.

WR Cooper Kupp

On the uncertainty around Darnold's availability

That was definitely weird, but you just got to roll with the punches. That's how things go in this league. Drew did a great job stepping in in that practice. He kept things moving, he kept things rolling. Process doesn't change, and Sam did a good job of getting himself ready to go and battle through that today. The show goes on.

On whether he had any doubt that Darnold would play

I mean I figured he was going to find a way to be out there. It's hard to tell, you don't know, without him throwing, but he was out there at the walkthrough on Saturday, like, he was told not to throw, but he was out there pump-faking. Everyone was like, 'dude, stop. Just please don't do anything stupid.' But, I figured with him pump faking as much as he was, he had to be feeling OK.

On when he knew for certain that Darnold would play

When he ran out there on the field.

On whether his throw on the first drive indicated that Darnold would be fine

Yeah, there were quite a throws I thought that he made that were man, he's letting it rip. I had little concern on one of those, he took a sack on one of those keepers, and he got up a little slowly, but man, he just fought through. He was consistent. He was the same Sam that he's always been, just leading the huddle, being a steady, leading force for us. He made some unbelievable throws. The one he threw to the left, to Jaxon in the end zone, those are unbelievable throws that he was making today.

On what it feels like to be a part of a win like that

It's fun. That's complimentary football at its finest. Open the game up with a kickoff return. Defense goes out there, does a great job of getting stops, giving us field position, the offense goes down, we would love to be able to finish in the red zone in that situation, but just play off each other. Just keep the energy moving forward, keep the ball moving forward. On the offensive side of the ball, I feel like we did a great job of that. The only times when we got into bad situations are when we had to play backwards, but we were able to recover from some of those. But when you have offense, defense and special teams playing off of each other like that, it's dangerous. It's very dangerous. We were able to capitalize on some of that today.

On how Rashid Shaheed glides when he is running

He's a cheat code. I'm so angry at him for being so fast. It drives me crazy. Just jealous at the end of the day, because he's special. I remember the first day he got to the facility, I remember asking him 'is it cool lining up and knowing that you can run past anyone that lines up across from you', and he says 'yeah, it's pretty cool.'

On playing in this atmosphere

The 12's brought it, it was really cool to see that. I'm glad that we were able to put on a show for them and I'm looking forward to what they can do next week.

On getting back to the NFC Championship

You don't take these things for granted. This is a testament to the process that it takes to get here, the amount of work that goes into it. This league, the guys are the best in the world that you're going up against, each and every day, and to get to this place is a testament to the coaches, and a testament to the guys and the process that they have taken through this time. It's going to be a really cool thing. I'm sure we'll talk about it this week. Everyone is going to want to say that everything is sweet, and the results that happen today will somehow impact what's going to happen next week. It's going to be great because the way we've gone about this, week after week and game after game. What's sweet isn't what happens out there, what's sweet is what we know; the amount of work that happens during the week. As long as we can do that, as long as we keep following that process, we're going to be so confident, so excited about whoever is across from us next week.

On Sam Darnold's ability to handle pressure

I don't think he cares about any of that. He's there for the guys, he's there to play football, play the game that he loves and lead us. I think he takes that approach, you can see how he goes about his business, when he's in the film room, when he's going about his preparation with the coaches, the questions he's asking, the things that he's pushing. It's not just this is what they said to do, I'm going to do it, it's how can we make this better. The things in this conversation, it's easy to communicate from coaches to players, but when players are communicating with coaches, you can take things to the next level. He's done a great job of that, and will continue to do that.

WR Rashid Shaheed

On his opening kickoff return touchdown

It was a crazy experience. It built momentum for the rest of the game. Shoutout to Jay Harbaugh for putting all of us on the right page each and every week. Big shoutout to him.

On how his touchdown jolted the team after the 20-minute delay

It just showed how prepared we are to come out and dominate. That was our mindset throughout the whole week, and that is our mindset for each and every game. That's exactly what we came out there to do. It started with special teams and carried on throughout the rest of the game.

On what Sam Darnold showed the team this week

Toughness and resilience. He is a leader and the captain of this team. He came out and he wasn't feeling 100 percent, but he played a great game and that's all we could ask for.

On what joining this team midseason has meant to him

It means everything. Just to come out here and be part of this team, it's super special. Being a part of the wide receiver room, it's nothing like I've ever experienced and it's been nothing but a dream come true. We've just got to keep stacking wins.

LB Demarcus Lawrence

On holding the 49ers offense to no touchdowns over eight quarters

It's just a testament to all the work that we've been putting in all year. We understand what we have here, just playing complimentary football, and let the rest take care of itself.

On what that first quarter meant to the defense

It's electrifying man, to see your boys out there balling makes you want to go out there and attack, too. We were able to do that today, and we had fun doing it.

On whether he is thinking about getting to the Super Bowl

One game at a time, man. Like I I said earlier, we know who we are, we know what we have in our locker room. Take it one play, one game at a time."

On the atmosphere in the stadium

Oh man, it was amazing. When Leo got that sack, just to hear the crowd noise, no better feeling.

On his thoughts when Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown

Oh man, just seeing him sliding down the sideline. The defense were grabbing our helmets, we were ready to go out there and get the ball again. It's just a testament to the camaraderie that we're going to build here in Seattle, and we're just going to keep playing Seahawks football.

On what Ernest Jones brings to the team

E.J., he is our captain, man. He hold us together, he makes sure all of us are in the right place, and he's a dawg and he gets the ball for us. Shout out to E.J., man, let's keep it going.

On the MOB necklace

Brand new MOB necklace, man. Just letting the world know how we're coming.

On his forced fumbles, chasing a guy from behind

I ain't running for nothing, you feel me? If I'm going to run, I'm going to make sure I try to take the ball from you.

On how excited Emmanwori was on recovering a fumble in his first playoff game

In all honesty, I didn't know what happened. I know it was a fourth down and we got off the field, but I'll definitely take the forced fumble.

On seeing the defense peak in the second half

It's commitment and dedication to our brotherhood and where we want to go. I feel like we have a mix of young guys and older guys, and once you bring our talents and our efforts together, we have a complete puzzle.

RB Kenneth Walker lll

On being the second running back in Seahawks history with 3 rushing touchdowns in a playoff game

First and foremost, it means a lot. We worked at it all season. I just got to give the credit to the O line. They had the holes there, and all I had to do was hit it."

On why the running game has been so effective recently

It's really just details and execution. We go over it, we watch film, and then we go execute it at practice and it shows in the game.

On whether his vision has improved

Yes, vision improved and just trusting it. Trusting those guys up front, knowing they're going to do their job, and they do their job and I trust it and hit the hole.

On the impact of the receivers and tight ends

They're real big. They make me and Zach look good, in being able to hit the outside. I feel like that is demoralizing to a defense.

On how the offense handled the uncertainty around Darnold's availability

We didn't know if he was going to play or not. We know Drew, he's been there all season, so we have trust in Drew as well. Drew and J-Mil. Luckily he was able to play and wasn't hurt. That's a testament to Sam, as a player and as a person. He came out here and fought through that.

On when he was certain that Darnold would play

I found out today. We was going to rally behind him either way.

On Rick Dennison's role as run game coordinator

Real detailed. He got a lot of experience at O-line as well, so with that experience and coming to the O-line room and showing us what they're blocking and what the O-line sees, it helps us in the running back room and what we should be seeing as well.

On getting a win in front of the home crowd

It feels great. It always feels great to have a day like this. The 12's came out and supported us and that means a lot.

On what the crowd is like

Electric. Since Rashid came out and scored on the first kickoff. That was definitely electric, we need that next week as well.

On what the kickoff return meant to the team

It made us start fast. It got everybody hyped, and that's what we need in every game.

On throwing the ball into the stands after his last touchdown

Shoot, I would do it more, but I'll get fined for it.

On what this win means

I think that's what the whole team believes in, that 1-0 mentality. We got this win, we gotta focus on the next one, the next game, critique our mistakes.

On whether running the ball so effectively feels like, and how it effects the other team's defense

You can see it when they're breathing, they're tired. They're slow to get up. You can see it being demoralizing to them. We just gotta keep doing that.

DT Leonard Williams

On what Sam Darnold means to the team

He means a lot to this team. I've been around him in college, I've been around him early in his career on the Jets, and I think as soon as I saw him in the building here, I saw a dedicated guy. He's dedicated to his craft, dedicated to the work, dedicated to this organization, and he's just a special leader on this team."

On how different Sam Darnold is from when he was on the Jets

I think we're both very different. Even for me, I was too young to pay attention to other guys that much. Now I'm a veteran, I can understand what guys are going through. I can be more of a leader in that space where I can see what's going on in the locker room. When he first got to the jets, I was still young as well, so it was harder for me to pay attention to what other guys were doing.

On how they kept the 49ers from getting any touchdowns in the second half

I mean, this defense is amazing. 
It's fun to play with them. Mike (Macdonald) has his slogan, loose and focused, that he's been instilling in this team since the day he got here. I think that's really what has allowed this team to play so free, play so fast. We just believe in one another, we trust one another, and regardless of where we're at on the field, when we take the field, we trust in ourselves. We trust in the guy next to us and we get the job done. It's amazing to not let them score.

On his fourth down sack

I've got to give a shout out to the rookie, Grey Zabel, actually. He's a smart kid. 
Since camp, since OTAs, we've been going back and forth communicating. Giving each other tips on what works, what doesn't work, and sometimes it's good to get insight from a guy on the other side of the ball. He said to me at one point that he can tell I was getting a slide, the center sliding to me a lot. He was like, 'Hey, why are you taking the inside move, when the slide is coming to you? You should just try to burn the B-gap.' So that whole drive, I was taking off, trying to burn the B-gap, and it worked.

LB Ernest Jonest IV

On Shaheed's TD kickoff return

That was electric. To be off for two weeks, start the game off like that in front of 70,000 people, that's a great way to start. It gave us a boost, but it also just confirmed what we knew – let's go ahead and play our game, and this will happen often.

On turnovers as a defense

That's big. That's the style we want to play, that complementary football. Getting turnovers on defense, that's something we strive to do, and the offense being able to capitalize and get touchdowns out of that. It builds our confidence. We just want to go get the ball more now and give them more opportunities to go get as many points as we can.

On Cooper Kupp

He's been a lot of everything for the offense. The steadiness, regardless of whether he's getting the ball or not, Cooper's the same person. Ultimately, Cooper just wants to win. I credit those guys (receivers) because Jaxon (Smith-Njigba) gets a lot of the love, but those guys are not selfish at all. They all go out there and compete. Coop's been doing it a long time, so for him to take the back seat and not be the guy that's big. That shows what kind of player he is, and we knew that.

S Nick Emmanwori

On the atmosphere

The 12s showed up. The fans were lit; the fans were loud. I was expecting the game to be a bit more gamey, but we did our job.

On if the win was sweeter being against a division rival

For sure, especially when that's the last team we beat. And there's a lot of stuff on social media about how this game was going to be different, but we didn't think anything of that. We knew what we were going to do, we knew what we came out here to do, and what the outcome was going to be.

On what statement the defense made tonight

The same statement we make every week. We're some savages, we go to work, we make plays.

G Grey Zabel

On if he's ever played in an atmosphere like this

It was one of one, the 12s are one of one. I'm excited for the next game and it's just going to keep getting rowdier and rowdier. Next Sunday can't come soon enough.

On if he takes a sense of pride when the run game is performing this well

When we have the dynamic backfield that we do, we've just got to give them a chance. You've got to move the line of scrimmage to give them a chance. When he's running the ball like he (Kenneth Walker III) is, it's pretty incredible. It's super fun to block for a guy like that, we just love doing our job up front.

On what he would attribute improvements in the run game too

Top to bottom, I think, the coaches just understanding what type of team we are, what type of run game we want to be, and how we want to attack defenses. Then it's just, as we're growing together, and playing more and more football, we're becoming closer knit, and understanding each other, and we're going to play off blocks and all this stuff. Just continuing to grow, it's huge. Every single game we get together, it's going to be super exciting.

T Abraham Lucas

On what it will take to pick up where they left off next Sunday

I don't think it's a question of how we can do that again. It's a question of how do we prepare in the best way so that we have the best chance for success. That's all football is to set yourself up to have the best chance for success, not to guarantee anything. We are going to do that, work really hard at it and come out and give a full effort next week.

On what the crowd was like during the game

It's cool. We don't hear it often. It's great for the defense. I'm glad I don't have to play in it because that would be a hassle. I love the 12s and how rowdy they get. Being from here, I have certainly added my noise to the 12s growing up. I'm just happy to be a part of it.

On why the run game has worked so well the last few weeks

I don't think it's anything spectacular that we're doing. It's just trusting the coaching and continuing to improve and get better. The idea that you have to make a gigantic leap from one week to the next is unrealistic, but credit to the guys that I play next to. Like I've said all season, it's a slow process, and we just keep getting better at it.

T Charles Cross

On what it means to make it to the NFC Championship

It's special. To see what we've been able to do and watching this team improve, you just have to take advantage of the opportunities and enjoy the moment.

On his confidence in the quarterback no matter who is starting

I feel like the belief on this team, no matter who it is, is unwavering. Whether it's Sam (Darnold) or Drew (Lock), or whether it's Josh (Jones) or Amari (Kight), it's unwavering. The depth of this team is like no other and we showed that today.

On what has been working in the run game over the last three games

It's just about playing our game. It's the QB runs, it's taking advantage of the opportunities that are in front of us and just playing together. I feel like the run game is more than just the O-Line, it's the tight ends, and receivers. We've just got to work together.

TE AJ Barner

On if he felt that Seahawk football was at its best tonight

For sure. All things included was complimentary ball. The run game's such a team stat, and Sheed (Rashid Shaheed) getting us started was the perfect recipe. Great win.

On what the sideline was like after Rashid Shaheed's kickoff return

Stay on it. We did a good job of staying in the moment, staying on it. You get a play like that, and you think 'All right, we got the lead, we're good.' There was no sort of that. We stayed on it.

On what the mindset is like

We know what's ahead of us. We know what this means for us. We know we have work to do. We know our goal's ahead, and it's another step to get to where we want to go.

On how it feels to run the ball well on the other team

It's what we do. I feel people were questioning our run game, but now all things are working together at the perfect time, and that run game travels. Late in the year, it's extremely important, so we're going to keep doing it.

LB Drake Thomas

On what it means after the last two years to blow a team out in the playoffs

Huge. Mike (Macdonald) is consistent every single day, in what he wants and what he expects from us. He sets the standard and then the rest follows in line. It starts at the top and he's done an amazing job, creating a foundation and making the expectation clear. What the standard is and what we're doing here.

On Mike Macdonald explaining 'the why' of everything

It's huge. When he makes a call, you know what he's thinking. It helps you anticipate and play ahead of a snap.

CB Riq Woolen

On improving his play as the season progresses

If you are the same as you are the first day at camp, you are wrong. I feel like it's the same during the season. If you are the same person from the first day of the season, then you're wrong no matter how good or how bad you start off, you still have to continue to get better. That's what I did throughout this season. In order to be a pro, you have to be able to have that mentality to where you have to grow. I feel like that's the way I was born. I never doubted myself; I knew that everything was on me and I had to push myself. Other than that, I already know that I can do it, and I continue to do it.

On this being the second game of not allowing a touchdown to the 49ers

That's the mentality of our defense. M.O.B. mentality is the way we live and the way we play.

On Ernest Jones IV today

Making plays. He's been doing it all year. It's another great play that helped the team, and that man EJ (Ernest Jones IV) a dog. I'm glad he made that play, and it made life easier for the whole team.

LB Uchenna Nwosu

On holding them to zero touchdowns over the last two games

It goes back to our preparation that we have throughout the week. Mike (Macdonald) did a good job drawing the plays. Everybody made up the mindset to not let these guys score.

On if Sam Darnold not being 100% changed the approach

We approached it the same way we approach every game. If somebody goes down, it's the next man up. Drew (Lock) was prepared all week. He was ready to go if anything happened, but Sam (Darnold) was able to go out there and perform well today, and we had our star quarterback out there. It's next man up mentality, whether it's Sam in or not we had Drew's back.

On how big Rashid Shaheed's kickoff return was

It was huge. It got the crowd in it early, which is what we needed. Got a score on the board and let the defense go out there and do what we want to do.

DT Byron Murphy ll

On how the defense is peaking at the right time

It's about doing the same stuff we do week in and week out. It's the same process and we are getting the same results. Whatever we're doing, it's working, so we are going to keep doing that."

On beating the 49ers twice in two weeks

It's a big win. Beating a rival again is hard to do. That was our third time playing them too, so to get a win like that, especially in the playoffs 41-6, that's huge.

S Julian Love

On how they were able to stop the 49ers offense

You know, scheme for sure. Player for player, we felt we had an advantage. We play hard collectively, we play for each other. We've got some dogs, we've got some killers out there. We felt confident just playing - rubber meets the road - and played hard.

On keeping the 49ers out of the endzone

That's special. That's a special offense led by a very good quarterback. That's a special offense so it felt good. We're a great defense so we feel confident lining up against anybody.

On the speculation around Sam Darnold's injury

It's funny. When things were going down, we were figuring out things, we all collectively said 'Sam's our guy, we love Sam.' We're different when he is leading us. On the flipside, we think Drew (Lock) is the best (No.) 2 in the league, so there's no let down. We feel like that on defense, our offense will be fine regardless.

S Ty Okada

On Sam Darnold

I'll refer to Ernest Jones on that one. I think everybody remembers that interview from earlier this year and we still feel that way. Sam's our guy, we have all the faith in the world in him as our leader, and obviously he just goes and shows it. Day in and day out, every week. I'm so happy for him, and his continued success."

On how it feels to get a playoff win the same day as the parade in Bozeman, Mont.

Just feeling all the love from Bozeman. I'm so fired up for that group and that community as a whole. I'm fired up for us as Seahawks and the state of Washington, and Seattle as a whole. I'm super excited and feel very blessed.

Are there any similarities in the winning cultures

No doubt, I just think it's a group of selfless guys. Everybody going out there, doing their job, taking care of their 1/11th. No job is too big or too small for anybody on this team. I just feel blessed to be a part of it.

TE Eric Saubert

On how he knew Sam Darnold was going to play

I just talked to him yesterday. He's a dog. He's built for this. We're built for this. We're built for these situations - these big games. We take them one at a time, but we rise to the occasion. It's what we're built to do. It's a team of dogs and guys who care about each other. That's what we're built on man.

On how Coach Macdonald sets the culture

He's a guy that is just so genuine and believes in what his vision is. It's easy to follow someone that's so genuine and has such a belief and practices what he preaches. He's led us all season, and it's never been in doubt. We've never faltered in how we follow him. He's the man, he's a great coach, he's a great person to talk to. We're going to follow him to the end.

On what it's like playing with an elite defense

Dude, me and Drew (Lock) were talking about that. It's unreal. We were playing them in training camp and it was like, these guys are some dogs. So it's good to see other offenses going against them. Sometimes when we go against them it's like 'Am I built for this?' but it's like 'No, they're just like that.'

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

On what went through his head when Rashid Shaheed took the opening kickoff to the house

Honestly, I was just in awe. I was like 'Wow, good for him.' He's electric, and he's added something to this team that's special. I appreciate that boy right there, yes sir!

On the statement this game made to the rest of the league

We're the real deal. Honestly, I think teams know that, but we know that and that's all that really matters. We're just going to continue to be us.

On what the atmosphere will be like next week in the NFC Championship

I'm looking forward to it. I know the 12s are going to be out there and be loud. It's a real homefield advantage and we've got to take advantage of it.