The Seahawks host the 49ers on Saturday night in what will be their first home playoff game in five years, and their first with fans in the building in nine years. It will also be their first time heading into the postseason as the No. 1 seed since the 2013 and 2014 teams went to back-to-back Super Bowls as the NFC's top seed.

But despite everything at stake on Saturday night, the Seahawks know they need to stick to the same process that helped them earn 14 regular-season wins if they want to move on to the NFC championship game.

"We're treating it as just another week, another game," quarterback Sam Darnold said. "That's how everyone (is treating it), especially in that locker room. We've got such great guys in that locker room, mature, leaders at every position group. Everyone is just ready to go, attacking the week per usual and getting ready to go up against a really good 49ers team that's been rolling, and we're excited to go up against them.

"Obviously you prepare the same way, but when we get out there, we know Lumen (Field) is going to be rocking, so it's an important game. We don't get it twisted at all. We understand the implications of the game, the playoffs. It's awesome to be playing in games like this, especially in January. But we're treating this week as another week, and we're excited about it."

Here are five things to watch when the Seahawks host the 49ers at Lumen Field on Saturday night:

1. Just how electric will the atmosphere be at Lumen Field?

Seahawks fans have been waiting nearly a decade for this, a chance to cheer on their team at home in a playoff game. The Seahawks won the NFC West in 2020 and hosted a playoff game as a result, but that was played in an empty stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning the last home playoff game with fans in the stadium was Seattle's wild card win over the Lions following the 2016 season. That victory was the team's 10th straight at home dating back to the 2005 team's run to the Super Bowl, and this year's team is hoping to join previous top-seeded Seahawks teams in using homefield advantage to reach their sport's biggest stage next month.

And considering that this home playoff game will take place on a Saturday night against an NFC rival, Lumen Field should be electric for this game.

"I can't wait to see the fans," defensive tackle Jarran Reed said. "I can't wait to get out there and just feel the energy from the field. You know, we need our 12s out there. We need them as loud as ever. Trying to break the little sound meter. I think it topped at 109 (decibels). We're trying to break it to where it can't record it. We need it loud so the Dark Side can come alive. Especially if we're going into a situation in the Death Zone, just playing our style of football."

2. Can Sam Darnold and the offense again play turnover-free ball?

Seahawks fans got a brief scare on Thursday when Sam Darnold was added to the injury report with an oblique injury and listed as questionable, but Seattle's quarterback met with the media not long after and made it clear he’s expecting to play. So with Darnold presumably in his usual role running Seattle's offense, the question then becomes one of how he and the offense operate in what will be his first postseason start, and for a young Seattle offense, the first postseason for nearly everyone on that side of the ball other than veteran receiver Cooper Kupp, who won a Super Bowl with the Rams and played in nine total playoff games, and three starters who appeared in one playoff game as rookies, running back Kenneth Walker III and tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas.

But while that unit doesn't have a lot of playoff experience, Seattle's Week 18 game in Santa Clara, which was for the division title and the NFC's top seed, had a playoff feel too it, and the offense came through in a number of ways. While the scoreboard showed only 13 points, that doesn't reflect how well the Seahawks moved the ball, gaining 361 yards, including 180 on the ground, while picking up 23 first downs and going 6 for 13 on third down. If not for a pair of missed field goals and some squandered red zone opportunities, the final score could have been much more lopsided.

And most importantly in that win, the Seahawks did not turn the ball over, something they did in only three other games during the regular season. For all the things the Seahawks have done well offensively, scoring the third most points in the league, they have struggled to take care of the football, committing 28 turnovers, the second most in the NFL. The Seahawks defense has been great all season, and the running game is as good as it has been all season heading into the playoffs, which means while the Seahawks will need a good performance from their quarterback and passing game, they are well-rounded enough to beat anybody without Darnold having to shoulder too big of a load. In other words, if the Seahawks can avoid helping the 49ers with mistakes, they're going to be incredibly difficult to beat.

3. What does the Dark Side defense do for an encore after dominating the 49ers in Week 18, and what changes do the 49ers make to avoid a similar result?

The 49ers came into Week 18 with a red-hot offense, having averaged 42.3 points, 455.3 yards and 29.3 first downs in their previous three games. Then they face the Seahawks, who completely shut down the 49ers, allowing just three points, 173 yards and nine first downs. That was the lowest yardage total for the 49ers in nine seasons under Kyle Shanahan, and tied for the lowest point total during his tenure along with a three-point outing in his first game as a head coach in 2017.

But while the Seahawks come into the game very confident in what they can do on defense, they also know they can't assume that this week's game will follow the same script.

"There are things in the game plan that we didn't get to; I'm sure there are things in their game plan they didn't get to," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "To use the whole game declaring itself type thing, you don't know how these games are going to go. So this game is going to play out about a 99.999 percent chance it's going to play out way different than the last one, and you got to do a great job recognizing it and making the adjustments and doing all that type of stuff."

Shanahan, one of the game's top offensive coaches, is sure to have some wrinkles that the Seahawks didn't see two weeks ago, and San Francisco also will have left tackle Trent Williams back after he missed the previous meeting, and possibly receiver Ricky Pearsall, who has missed the last two games. They will, however, be without standout tight end George Kittle, who tore his Achilles in the wild card round.

"I think it makes a big difference," defensive tackle Leonard Williams said of Trent Williams' return. "He's a big presence on their team. He's one of the leaders of their offense. I know he's a little bit banged up right now, but just having his presence on the field goes a long way for them."

4. Can the running game continue its hot streak?

The Seahawks came into the season making it clear that they wanted to run the ball, but for much of the year, they struggled to find consistency with their ground game. Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the rest of the passing game were so good that the Seahawks could overcome any struggles in the run game, especially with the defense and special teams doing their part, but for the Seahawks to be at their best, they knew the running game had to come alive and believed throughout the season that a breakthrough was coming, and sure enough, the Seahawks finished the regular season running the ball better than they have all season.

Over their final three regular-season games, the Seahawks rushed for 171, 163 and 180 yards, their three highest totals of the season after the 198-yard effort against Arizona in Week 10.

"Just guys improving throughout the season, offensive line, running backs, everything," offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said of the improved ground game. "That's what we're looking for is constant improvement as the year goes on. You're only as good as your next day, so we've got to keep improving."

5. Which team plays better situational football?

The Seahawks and 49ers bookended the regular season with a pair of low-scoring games, with San Francisco winning 17-13 in Week 1 and Seattle prevailing 13-3 last week, and while that doesn't guarantee a similar script on Saturday, it does highlight the fact that, should the game play out in a similar fashion, every possession and every scoring opportunity will be vital. And over the course of the two meetings, both teams can point to numerous opportunities where points were left on the field, from the Seahawks turning the ball over in the red zone while driving for a possible game-winning score in Week 1 to the 49ers turning it over in the red zone in Week 18 to multiple missed field goals for the Seahawks and an empty red zone trip that ended with a turnover on downs in Week 18.

Third and fourth-down conversions will also be critical. In Week 1, the 49ers were 7 for 14 on third down and 2 for 2 on fourth down in a win, while the Seahawks were 3 for 10 on third down. In Week 18, the Seahawks were 6 for 13 on third down and 0 for 1 on fourth down in a win, while the 49ers were 2 for 9 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down.

"I think the games against the 49ers really all three phases, like the things that determine games it's kind of magnified in these games," Macdonald said. "Situational football; how you take care of the ball; how you finish in the red zone; third down is a big time; two-minute. That's a cliche answer, but really the teams that have kind of won those situations I felt like have really had the nod in terms of outcome of the game."