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Rapid Reactions: Seahawks Clinch NFC West and No. 1 Seed With 13-3 Win Over 49ers

The Seahawks Dominated On Defense And With Their Running Game To Clinch The NFC West With A 13-3 Win Over The 49ers

Jan 03, 2026 at 08:06 PM

John Boyle

Seahawks.com Senior Reporter

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—After Sam Darnold took a knee for the third time, and Seahawks players rushed onto the field, what had been evident throughout Saturday night's game became official.

The Seahawks are the best team in the NFC.

Thanks to a dominant defensive performance and a strong ground game, the Seahawks controlled the game throughout on their way to 13-3 win over the 49ers.

With the win, the Seahawks improve to 14-3 and are the NFC West champs, as well as the conference's No. 1 overall seed.

Here are six rapid reactions to Saturday night's win:

1. The road to the Super Bowl goes through Seattle.

With Saturday's win at Levi's Stadium, the Seahawks drastically helped their chances of coming back here for the Super Bowl.

With a 14-3 record, the best regular-season mark in team history, the Seahawks are NFC West champs and they also earned a first-round by and the conference's No. 1 seed.

In each of the three previous instances that the Seahawks were the top seed, 2005, 2013 and 2014, they used homefield advantage to get to the Super Bowl.

2. In a season full of great defensive performances, that might have been the best yet for the Seahawks.

The Seahawks have been great on defense all season, it's a big reason why they were in the position they were coming into Saturday's game. But what that group did on Saturday, considering the opponent and stakes, was an all-time performance.

Coming into Saturday's game, the 49ers had one of the league's hottest offenses and quarterbacks, setting up a big test, and Seattle's defense passed with flying colors. In three December games, all of them wins, the 49ers punted only twice, and averaged 42.3 points per game, 455.3 yards per game and 29.3 first downs per game. On Saturday, the Seahawks held the 49ers to a single field goal, 173 yards and nine first downs while forcing four punts, two turnovers on downs and one interception.

3. Seattle's ground game was dominant.

The Seahawks came into the game with some momentum with its rushing attack, having gained 334 yards on the ground in the past two games, with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet each having a 100-yard game in that stretch.

On Saturday, the Seahawks got the job done again, rushing for 180 yards on 39 carries, good for a 4.6 yards per carry average (it was 5.1 per carry before the kneel downs). Walker led the way with 97 yards on 16 carries, putting him over the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career, while Charbonnet added 74 yards on 17 carries, including a 27-yard touchdown, his team-leading 12th score of the season.

Seattle's big day on the ground included yet another rushing conversion on third-and-long, something that has been a regular occurrence for the Seahawks in recent weeks. This time, it was Walker converting on a third-and-17 run, marking the third consecutive game the Seahawks have converted with a run on third-and-15 plus, with Charbonnet doing it last week and Walker doing it in Week 16 against the Rams. Walker also had a 19-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal in Seattle's Week 2 win over the Steelers.

4. Drake Thomas made the play of his life in the fourth quarter.

Drake Thomas has been outstanding for Seattle's defense ever since he took over a start role early this season, and on Saturday he made the biggest play of his NFL career.

With the 49ers down 10 points and moving the ball as well as they had all game, Brock Purdy threw a pass in the flat to Christian McCaffrey. Thanks in part to a Boye Mafe tip, the usually sure-handed running back bobbled the ball, allowing Thomas to seize his opportunity and snag an interception.

Instead of the 49ers making it a one-score game, possibly with a touchdown to make it 13-3, the Seahawks took over and went on a long drive that took 8:01 off the clock, all but putting the game to rest.

5. Sam Darnold wasn't spectacular, but he played solid, turnover-free football, which was more than enough.

There was always going to be a big spotlight on Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold after his last game in this situation, a Week 18 game for the Vikings with the top seed on the line, ended with a loss and a bad day for the offense.

Darnold didn't put up crazy numbers this time around, but he was steady and made plenty of big throws, completing 20 of 26 passes for 198 yards, and most importantly, he did not turn the ball over. And on a day the defense was playing as well as it was, that was more than enough.

6. The 49ers got the full Nick Emmanwori experience this time.

The last time the Seahawks faced the 49ers, Nick Emmanwori exited that Week 1 game with an ankle injury after playing just four snaps. It's safe to say the 49ers got a better look at the rookie safety this time around, and as he has been all season, Emmanwori was a force to be reconned with.

In addition to recording a team-leading seven tackles, Emmanwori had one tackle for loss, and a big hit on Purdy to force an incompletion on third down, leading to a punt.