Featuring postgame quotes from the following:

Head Coach Mike Macdonald

Man, I'm obviously just incredibly proud of our team. All the things that we've been working at since we walked in the door, especially this year, are coming to life. I'm just incredibly proud of them. They played incredibly hard. They played together. They played complimentary football. Each phase picked the other up. It was a great game, so I'm really proud of our guys. Injury-wise, on everybody that got out of the game, I think [Seattle Seahawks S] Josh [Jones] was able to return, and we're optimistic about [Seattle Seahawks S] Coby [Bryant] and [Seattle Seahawks S] Charles [Cross] coming back. Having an extra week is going to be really great for those guys. I just told our team that we've gotten to this point because of our approach every day. Everybody wants to tag all this meaning to games, but our guys just worry about our process and attack what's right in front of us every play. I believe that that's why we're sitting right here. We're going to keep that same mentality over the next two weeks.

Did your gameplan tonight exceed your expectations?

Our coaches put together a great plan, but our players made it come to life, they really did. We had some bad calls in some moments and the other team had some good plays, but our guys did it. They played incredibly well. They were determined to win the game, and are just such a resilient bunch.

Could you feel the difference having Seattle Seahawks S Nick Emmanwori more available in this game as opposed to the first time you faced the San Francisco 49ers this season?

We played the first game a lot with [Seattle Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon] at nickelback, and he did a great job. We didn't lose that game because we didn't stop the run. I'm really proud of Nick. I mean, he had a great game. He had a bunch of tackles and he earned this. He's a great player and it's obviously great to have him. He definitely helps our defense for sure. Yeah, I messed that up. I should have taken a timeout. I was thinking about other things at the moment. That said, the guys did incredible. I mean, that was what, 15 plays over several minutes? [Seattle Seahawks QB] Sam [Darnold] did a great job extending plays today, and that really helped us win the game. The third-and-long run conversions were incredible. I think [Seattle Seahawks WR Jake] Bobo had a great block on one of them, and [Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III] had a great run. Those were big-time plays for us.

The interception by Seattle Seahawks LB Drake Thomas was obviously huge. What did you think about that?

"Look, we're going to defend a blade of grass. The 49ers popped a few plays on that drive, but our guys stayed with it. [Seahawks Defensive Coordinator Aden Durde] AD was telling me in the headset to stay calm and keep playing. It was a team effort, and [Seattle Seahawks LB] Boye [Mafe] had an assist on that play. I think it was one of those moments where the ball finds energy. Drake has been playing great football for us, and he deserves a massive shout-out. [San Francisco 49ers RB Christian] McCaffrey is obviously a great back, so to make a play like that was big."

You've had three straight games with 163-plus rushing yards. Are you happy about the way that is trending?

Yeah, it's great. Honestly, it's easy to feel good about it right now. That said, some of the counters they had gave us trouble, and I think we need to do a better job countering their counters, and we will. We've done a great job throughout the season making second-half adjustments. It was great to start the game the way we did with the run game. Now we want to shoot for a four-quarter run game.

Do you feel like the run game would have been capable of this type of performance earlier in the year?

Absolutely. I think it's just that gradual attack. We know who we are and what our core competencies are, and we just keep attacking it. The offensive coaches hear from me every once in a while, and they've been great, solving problems and keeping the attack going.

You talked a lot about games presenting themselves. With that first drive on your decisions inside the 10, did you know it was the type of game that you didn't plan on giving up many points?

It was an aggressive model, and normally it's par for the course to be ready to go for it in that situation. Obviously, the result wasn't great, but their average starting field position was really high too. The value of field goals was kind of lower in this game, and we felt like having a bad starting position was actually helpful for us.

You guys laid out incremental goals throughout the year, what's it like accomplishing them?

That's it. We're just one game at a time. Keep stacking them. This is what we've been saying for a while now: if we want to go where we want to go, and we're a young team with an idiot head coach in his second year trying to figure it out, that's our mentality. We're just going to keep attacking day by day, one thing at a time, and worry about that. Let everybody else come up with all the stories and stuff. I'll try to give you some good info, but we're not really worried about all that stuff.

Have you been able to give it any thought about being able to possibly host two playoff games at home?

I'm glad you brought that up. Of all the things we've been thinking about over the last 30 minutes or so, that's definitely a point of pride that we can have at least one home playoff game in front of the 12s. They've been dynamite this year. They've been absolutely incredible. We're really excited to be able to stay home.

Can you allow yourself to take some pride in all that you've accomplished in your first two years here in Seattle?

I'm really proud of our team. You can hear them in there—they love each other, man. It's so much fun to go to work every day and to coach this team. It's an absolute honor to coach these guys. I just talked to AD on the plane. I was like, 'I don't want this to end.' Ultimately, the season's going to end at some point, but I just want to keep going. I want to do whatever this is. Every day has been a massive blessing, and I love these guys.

How'd you feel about the way that your pass rush was married with your secondary guys in the back end today?

They're a tremendous offense, probably top whatever in the league and have been doing it for a long time. They have great players, they have great coaches, and the numbers back it up. Our guys played great complimentary football today. They really did. I can't say enough, but I can't wait to watch the tape. There's a lot of assists going on in there, guys rushing unselfishly to free somebody else up or to let somebody else have a two-way go so they can cover for them. How we played in the back end, it felt like we were ahead of plays. These guys did a great job. I'm looking forward to watching it. I won't watch it on the plane, but I'll watch it tomorrow.

Do you like what you've seen out of the run games over the last few weeks?

Like I said earlier, I love how we started the game. It felt like we really set the tone, but I'd like us to finish. I felt like we kind of started the game the right way and finished the right way. We need to find some more answers. I thought they did a good job of finding some counters to slow us down a little bit. It'll be interesting to watch it and come up with some solutions to that.

How big is that to just have the ball security you guys did in a game like this?

Our guys did a great job. It goes back to, like, 'Hey, what do you say about the takeaways?' Nail the process. We talked about it. Let's just be us when it comes to finishing plays. Anybody that had the ball, I thought did a great job.

Did you have a cigar, Mike?

No, I'm an amateur when it comes to that kind of stuff.

QB Sam Darnold

Opening comments:

That was an incredible game, and kind of a weird game. As an offense, we didn't execute the way that we wanted to in the red zone and at the end of drives. But our defense, they step up time after time. Our special teams played lights out. It was an incredible win. I'm so proud of the guys in that locker room. We're going to celebrate this one but we know that we have a lot of work to do, and we're going to get right to work on that this upcoming week.

You've been on the opposite end of a Week 18 where everything is at stake, and unfortunately, it didn't go your way. Can you talk about the emotions that come with this kind of win?

It's a great team win, like I said. We have a resilient group no matter what happens. I feel like I missed a couple throws. I feel like I had Charbs [RB Zach Charbonnet] open on that first drive in the end zone. I feel like I could have just put the ball on him and let him score. Then, I felt like I underthrew Jacks [WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba] on that third-down play in the second quarter. There's opportunities that you're going to have that you're going to want back after every single game, but just the fact that, as an offense, we were able to move on. That last drive was incredible. Our offensive line and the way we were able to run the ball on that last drive was awesome. Like I said, I'm just proud of the guys in the locker room.

The one to JSN, are you talking about the one in the endzone?

Yes, the third down in the second quarter, going into their tunnel. I thought I could have put the ball out there a little bit more, or maybe thrown it earlier.

You guys had 180 rushing yards tonight after 160-plus in each of the previous three games. What your run game has done these last three games, how big is that?

It's just the offensive line, the tight ends, receivers, everyone on our offense is working. We're continuing to communicate with each other throughout the week on what runs we like. We're communicating on different looks that the defense can present to us. I think the communication and cohesiveness of that group upfront is continuing to get better and better.

You mentioned the defense already, to hold that 49ers offense to three points and 173 total yards is impressive. What would you say about what your defense has been all year and also today?

I witnessed it firsthand in OTAs and in training camp. Going against our defense is tough. They have a lot of different looks and they present some problems, whether it's upfront or from the linebacker position. S Nick Emmanwori doing his thing wherever he's going to be on our defense, and then the back end obviously, doing what they do. They're such a good group. Very talented, but I think more than talent alone, they're very smart football players and smart people. They're just very cohesive in what they do defensively.

You've watched the running game explode, and the defense has pretty much shut down every team. What can you say about the growth from the beginning of the season to where you guys are now?

Yes, that's us. We're going to continue to try to get better and no matter what the results are. Whether it's a win, whether it's a loss, we're always going to look in the mirror. That's what's great about the guys in the locker room. We have a lot of unselfish guys that are going to see what they can do better for the team, and that's it.

Sam, you switched teams to come here. You're 14-3 in your first season, what can you say about the last seven or eight months for you?

Yeah, I mean I'm taking it one day at a time. It's been a whirlwind, just the NFL season, just preparing one week at a time. That's the best part about it. You celebrate a win like this and then tomorrow you might celebrate a little bit too because you have a Bye. But we're right back to seeing what we can do better and how we can get better for the next game. That's the beautiful thing about the NFL and what we do.

What does it mean to get those playoff games at home?

It's huge to be able to play in front of the 12s. It's unlike any other stadium that I've ever played in in terms of how loud it can be and how tough it could be for another offense to operate. So we're really looking forward to playing at home for the playoffs.

It sounds like you'll have T Charles Cross back for the divisional round game, but what can you say about the job that G/T Josh Jones did the last three games filling in for him?

Yeah, Josh has been incredible. He has stepped up in many ways this season. Coming in mid-game, he did a really good job in that first Rams game coming in when someone went down. And he's a guy that again shows just how unselfish all of our guys are in that locker room. He just wants to do whatever it takes to win, whether that's starting at left tackle or whether that's being a swing tackle that can go in there in goal line and short yardage stuff. He's been incredible all season.

What happened on the fumble to RB Zach Charbonnet? How big was it that Zach got that and then you hit RB Kenneth Walker III and he runs to about the 50 yard line there?

It's huge for us obviously to recover that fumble. I think maybe I have to look at the tape. I don't know exactly what happened. Obviously, someone clipped my foot, but I have to watch the tape. I think in that situation again, I would probably try to just tuck the ball and take the loss and not try to hand it off.

You are atop this division that has three teams with 12 or more wins. How do you feel about the way that you guys have been prepared for the challenges that are coming your way through the postseason because of that company?

Yeah, there's a ton of great teams in this division in the NFC and we're looking forward to whatever challenge we face. Like I always say, we're very resilient, but we're just going to continue to take it one week at a time, one day at a time, and go from there.

You told us last week that you learned a lot from Week 18 last year. How did that experience help you out?

Yeah, I think just taking what the defense gives me. If I'm in play action and get my eyes down the field, and I'm not exactly seeing it the way I want to, I am just able to get to a check down or maybe scramble or just throw the ball away. Especially on first and second down, I think that was the biggest difference.

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Did you think that you were inbounds and might have scored on that one play?

Yes. I just kept running to make sure. I didn't know, honestly. But just wanted to start off, just super proud of my guys. Super proud to be a Seahawk and the way that we fought out here. I want to give all the glory to God for this season. I just wanted to give him all the glory and it's just awesome to see what he's doing on this team and in Seattle.

Throughout this season, when we've asked you about your individual accomplishments, the numbers, you've talked about winning and team goals. In light of that, to be the number one seed and NFC West champs, just how does this feel for you?

Yes. That was my goal. That was a goal that we talked about since our first meeting. So it's a blessing, it's an honor. One down, a couple more to get.

All those times you've gone off against this Seahawk defense in practice. Does it kind of feel nice to watch them do their thing to an audience?

Oh, it's awesome. I love it. There's no other defense I would want to go out there and play. I know the intensity that they bring, I know how they look across the field, and it is something you don't want to play. So I'm super proud of them.

How do you end up with almost 1800 yards, I think it's 1793. How do you look at that now that it's over?

I just want to give all the glory to God. I took it one day at a time process over results. It was about the process. It was about the Tuesdays, Wednesdays, getting ready for the next week. It was about the little things. We preach process over results and when I look back, I'll think about the process.

DE Leonard Williams

You've been playing a long time in the NFL. What does it mean to you to have a moment like this?

It means so much. I think one of the only guys on the team that really knows the journey I've been on is [Seattle Seahawks S] Julian [Love] and we both embraced each other after the game and just talked about our path. I've just been so thankful to be here and so thankful for the season and just the way everything's been playing out. It is just really incredible to be having this type of season towards the end of my career.

Did you imagine you could hold this team to three points? Is that total beyond the expectation?

I don't think so. I don't have any doubt in any part of this team. On all three levels, honestly. We keep finding ways to win. Sometimes it's our offense finding a way. Sometimes it's special teams. I think our defense has been playing lights out all season. They have a great offense, but I think we did a good job today.

How do you feel about the complimentary football you guys are playing?

I think every team preaches it, especially in the beginning of the season, that you want to be good in all three phases of football. Now being on a team that has that, I can really see the impact it has in games. There are times where one side of the ball is lacking in certain areas and we're just not getting the job done. When that happens we can always count on another side of the ball to pick it up. This team is just special.

LB Ernest Jones IV

How sweet is it to get that NFC West title, holding this team to three points?

It's pretty sweet. For me, I've been in this situation before. Winning the Super Bowl. I'm happy for these guys. The work they put in, they deserve it. So for me, I'm like a big dad on this plane ride, just watching those guys have fun.

What can you say about this defensive effort? I mean the 49ers team the last three weeks has been putting up huge numbers, and holding them to three points.

That was big. That was key. The 49ers have been scoring at will. They haven't been punting. We know our style of play. Let's just go out there, play how we know how to play and let's just see what happens. Let's see what they have. And for us to come out there and hold them to three points, that's huge.

Head Coach Mike McDonald is the last guy who's going to hype himself, but what can you say about the job he's done with this team from when you got here in the middle of last year to where you guys are now?

We're here today as number one seed because of Mike. Not just the way he calls it, but the community that he's building in that locker room. We play for each other. We fight for each other. I've said this before, we got here to this point, and it started last year. It started through those ups and downs that we had last year when I came here. It started then and we were able to pick it up this year and just keep rolling.

S Nick Emmanwori

What was your game plan?

Yeah, we had a good, simple game plan. There wasn't too much to it. We have to go out there and just ball and do what we do, show up when we need to show up and handle business.

How do you feel about the way your offense played?

Those boys can ball. The O-line was busting their ass out there. They made plays all night. The Niners couldn't stop the run game, so if they can't stop it, you have to keep running the ball.

Are you looking forward to getting S Coby Bryant back in the lineup?

I'm ready to get my dog Coby back.

RB Kenneth Walker lll

When you got the pitch, what did you see?

There was an open lane. Me and [Seahawks TE AJ Barner] were going across, and I just felt like I could cut back, so I started cutting across the field. When I looked up, I had a first down.

You have a week off, then possibly two homes games before the Super Bowl. Have you thought about that?

Yes, I've thought about it. We are thinking about it a lot, but we know that we have to take it one game at a time in order to get to where we want to get to.

Any thoughts on the offensive line's performance tonight?

They were sustaining their blocks. They won their one-on-ones. That's what we always talk about.

LB Drake Thomas

They're driving down there, you're on San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and the ball bounces off of him. That was a huge stop to kick him out of the end zone. Walk us through that.

I'm one on one. I know he's got an option route on me and honestly, he probably beats me to the corner, but I think [LB Boye] Mafe might have gotten a piece of the ball. He said he did and kind of changed the direction of it. It hit off his back shoulder and bounced right into my hands. God is good. That's all I have.

The way your overall defense played, holding his team to three points and nine first downs. What can you say about that?

We have a special group. The way we come to work every single day. Like I said, we come with the right mentality. Taking each day like it's the most important thing, and I think the results speak for themselves.

A lot of people were wondering about how QB Sam Darnold was going to play in a game like this today. He came out, led this offense. What about the way he played?

We have one hundred percent confidence in Sam. We know what kind of guy he is. He shows up the same every single day. He's a fighter. He's tough. He shows up every single week and we have 14 wins, so that's a testament to him.