SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The playoffs start a week early for the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
The top two teams in the NFC West will square off Saturday night in a rare regular-season game with such high stakes as the winner will earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a first-round bye and home-field advantage before the Super Bowl.
“I think in football, out of all sports, home-field advantage is the biggest advantage because I think crowd noise truly affects the game in terms of pass rush and things like that,” 49ers coach Kyle Shahanan said. "But, the main thing is just it’s one less game. I’d love to be home. That’s our goal. If that doesn’t work out, we’re excited to go on the road, too.”
This game between the Seahawks (13-3) and 49ers (12-4) marks just the fourth time since seeding began in the NFL in 1975 that two teams will play on the final week of the season with the winner guaranteed the No. 1 seed, according to Sportradar.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold lost in this spot last year with Minnesota against Detroit, with the only games with stakes like this coming in 1993 when Dallas beat the New York Giants on the way to a second straight Super Bowl title and in 1979 when Dallas beat Washington.
The game in 2019 came close with the Niners clinching the top seed with the win that was sealed when San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw tackled Jacob Hollister at the 1 on fourth-and-goal in the closing seconds. A Seattle win that night would have given the Seahawks the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
“I thought it was one of the best plays ever,” Shanahan said. "Just watching everyone run on the field after it, it was just a fun, intense game. ... It’s a good reminder of how quick things can change. It all comes down to the wire and started to look bad there for a second and then Greenlaw made one of the best plays I’ve ever seen.”
The two rosters have undergone nearly a complete overhaul since that game six years ago with only seven players who appeared in that game currently on the active rosters of the two teams.
“That game right there definitely left a sour taste in my mouth,” said Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who was a part of that game. “I remember that play like it was yesterday. You don’t forget those types of games; it’s a big moment. We’re not going to shy away from that. It’s down to it, everything is on the line right now and we know that.”
Despite the presence of Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco’s running game struggled to get going for much of this season. That’s undergone a dramatic change in recent weeks.
After ranking last in the NFL in yards per carry in the first 10 weeks at 3.51, the 49ers have gotten going down the stretch run. San Francisco is averaging 4.69 yards per carry the past three games and ranks third with 161 yards per game in that span.
“I think it’s just a collective effort of guys just sticking to the plan, continuing to get better,” McCaffrey said. “There’s not one answer. I think it’s 11 guys just committing to it. ... I think we’re seeing it and hitting it, and we just got to keep it rolling.”
The Seahawks have seen a similar recent turnaround.
Following a thrilling 38-37 overtime win against the Rams where they rushed for 171 yards, Seattle rattled off 163 yards rushing in its victory over Carolina, led by Zach Charbonnet’s season-high 110 yards.
But it won’t be easy on Saturday against the 49ers’ sixth-ranked rushing defense, which allows an average of 103 yards per game.
“We’ve stuck to our process,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “Really believed in what we’re doing.”
Brock Purdy has been playing at an MVP level and peaking at the right time for the 49ers. During the last three games for San Francisco, he has thrown for 893 yards with 11 TDs, two TD runs and a 131.5 passer rating.
It'll be critical for the Seahawks to put pressure on the 49ers’ offensive front, which could be without tackle Trent Williams after he suffered a hamstring injury against Chicago. Regardless, they’ve done a fine job of protecting Purdy, allowing one sack in each of their wins over Chicago and Indianapolis.
The 49ers now have scored 40 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1995.
“We know they’re a good offense and we’re a good defense," defensive tackle Jarran Reed said. “Saturday is going to speak for itself.”
The game being moved to Saturday night wasn't beneficial to either team with Seattle coming off a cross-country trip to Carolina and San Francisco playing back-to-back games on short weeks after a Monday night game in Indianapolis in Week 16.
Neither situation is extremely common.
The Seahawks are the 20th team in the past three seasons to play back-to-back road games with the second coming on a short week. The previous teams went 6-13.
The 49ers will be the 15th team in the past three seasons to play back-to-back short weeks, with the previous 14 splitting the games.
“Once you find out, you spend 10 seconds bitter about it and then you say, ‘It is what it is,’ which is how it always is,” Shanahan said. “I mean, whatever your schedule is, whenever it is.”
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