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There are layers to the storied 49ers-Seahawks rivalry that’s heated up over the last 10 years. But they’ve faced off only once in the playoffs.
The No. 2 seed 49ers (13-4) and No. 7 seed Seahawks (9-8) will go head-to-head for a second time for the NFC wild-card game to be played at Levi’s Stadium next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PT on Fox.
A home overtime win Sunday over the Rams put Seattle in playoff position, and a Lions win over Green Bay hours later clinched it by knocking the Packers out.
The 49ers are 2-0 against the Seahawks this year, beating them handily in Week 2 at home, 27-7, when Jimmy Garoppolo took over at quarterback after Trey Lance suffered an ankle fracture. In December, the 49ers beat the Seahawks comfortably, 21-13, in Seattle with Brock Purdy at quarterback to clinch the NFC West.
The 49ers are riding a 10-game win streak into their third playoff appearance since Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017. They played in and lost to the Kanas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl after the 2019 season and were eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game last January.
Roles and rosters have changed significantly since the last time the Seahawks and Niners faced off in the playoffs for the 2013 NFC Championship Game. The Seahawks were the toast of the NFL then, beating Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers 23-17 in a game punctuated by Richard Sherman’s infamous tip on the corner fade to Michael Crabtree that could have tied the game.
The play was further cemented into rivalry history when Sherman called himself “the best corner in the game” and blasted Crabtree on an on-field postgame interview with Erin Andrews. The Seahawks went on to beat Denver and win the Super Bowl, and the 49ers missed the playoffs in each of the next five seasons.
Those Seahawks were led by Russell Wilson at quarterback, but this year’s team has thrived without him after trading the former Pro Bowler to Denver last offseason in exchange for draft picks and three players: Tight end Noah Fant, quarterback Drew Lock and defensive lineman Shelby Harris.
Geno Smith, who was Wilson’s backup the last two years, beat out Lock for the starting spot and has thrived. Entering Sunday, he had a career-high completion percentage of 70.2 and a passer rating of 102.9 in his first season starting since 2014 with the Jets.
Seattle started the season well, exiting Week 9 with a 6-3 record and the division lead, but lost five of six games after that. The Seahawks pulled themselves together to beat the Jets on New Year’s Day and the Rams on Sunday, earning the NFC’s final playoff spot with a little help from the Lions.
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