play0:40CMC wins Fantasy Focus Football’s Comeback Player of the Year AwardStephania Bell announces that 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is named the podcast’s comeback player of the year for fantasy managers.
play2:07Schefter: 49ers will be cautious who plays in Week 18Adam Schefter updates Pat McAfee on the status of 49ers stars Trent Williams, George Kittle and Fred Warner for Week 18.
Nick WagonerCloseNick WagonerESPN Staff WriterNick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In over a decade with the company, Nick has led ESPN’s coverage of the Niners’ 2019 and 2023 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam’s subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team’s relocation and stadium saga.Follow on XBrady HendersonCloseBrady HendersonESPNBrady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation and covers the Seattle Seahawks for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2017 after covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM.Follow on XJan 3, 2026, 06:00 AM ET
CMC wins Fantasy Focus Football’s Comeback Player of the Year AwardStephania Bell announces that 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is named the podcast’s comeback player of the year for fantasy managers.
Stephania Bell announces that 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is named the podcast’s comeback player of the year for fantasy managers.
Schefter: 49ers will be cautious who plays in Week 18Adam Schefter updates Pat McAfee on the status of 49ers stars Trent Williams, George Kittle and Fred Warner for Week 18.
Adam Schefter updates Pat McAfee on the status of 49ers stars Trent Williams, George Kittle and Fred Warner for Week 18.
Seattle Seahawks (13-3) at San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
Best thing I heard in the Seahawks’ locker room this week:
Will San Francisco’s defense step up and force turnovers?
Best thing I heard in the 49ers’ locker room this week:
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The last time the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks met in the regular season with the NFC West on the line, an epic battle came down to a single yard.
Six years later, a lot has changed for the 49ers and Seahawks — who square off again Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) — but not the stakes.
The Seahawks (13-3) enter the game in first place of the NFC West and on a six-game winning streak. A win or tie would lock them in for top spot in the division and the conference. They have an NFL-best 14-2 road record since 2024 under coach Mike Macdonald.
The 49ers (12-4) are also on a six-game winning streak — and a seventh would pull them even with the Seahawks in overall record. They’d claim the NFC West crown and No. 1 seed by virtue of a 2-0 record against Seattle.
Back in Week 1, the Niners went to Seattle and escaped with a win in the closing moments. Since then, these teams have taken decidedly different paths to the same destination.
Seattle has emerged as one of the league’s most complete teams, led by the second-best scoring defense in the NFL. The Niners have been the opposite, carving a path to the postseason on the strength of a high-octane offense that ranks fifth in offensive points per game and first since Week 9.
Add it all up and the expectation on both sides is for another classic that could come down to the final seconds, if not the final yard.
“We stole one up there, but I think they’re going to be ready for this one,” 49ers right tackle Colton McKivitz said. “It’s going to come down to that last couple of plays.”
ESPN’s NFL Nation 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner and Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson break down the matchup with the biggest questions heading into the game, key players and injury concerns for each team.
It’s tempting to ask whether Sam Darnold and Seattle’s offense can finally play a clean game and kick their recent bad habit of slow starts, as they’ve failed to top nine points in the first half in six of their past seven games.
But the unstoppable-force-versus-immovable-object matchup on the other side of the ball is worth watching. No offense has been hotter of late than San Francisco’s (it has scored 40-plus points in each of the past two games), and maybe only one defense — Houston’s — has been better than Seattle’s all season. Macdonald’s unit is allowing the second-fewest points in the NFL at 17.3 per game.
Part of the formula has been relying on their dominant front four — led by 2026 Pro Bowlers Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence — to get to opposing quarterbacks without having to send an extra rusher, instead keeping one more defender in coverage. The Seahawks rank fifth in pressure rate (35.1%) and 27th in blitz rate (20.4%).
Their 44 sacks are eighth most in the NFL, though they’ve only recorded four over their past four games. That is partly due to how quickly Indianapolis Colts’ Philip Rivers and Carolina Panthers’ Bryce Young got rid of the ball.
Darnold has up to $2.5 million worth of contract incentives that he can reach in this game, including $500,000 apiece for throwing three more touchdown passes and 150 more passing yards.
The rookie second-round pick played all of four snaps in the season opener against San Francisco before suffering an ankle injury that sidelined him for the next three games. Since returning, he has developed into an almost-every-down playmaker, a versatile weapon and one of the leading candidates for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Emmanwori lit up the scouting combine with a 4.38 40-yard dash and a 43-inch vertical jump at 6-3 and 220 pounds. That blend of size and athleticism allows him to play all over the field — sometimes lining up on the line of scrimmage, or across from slot receivers. He’s an X factor that Seattle’s defense didn’t have the first time it faced the 49ers.
Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is having a historic season for the Seahawks. His 1,709 receiving yards and 113 receptions are franchise single-season records. He is 91 yards shy of becoming the seventh player in NFL history to record 1,800 receiving yards in a season.
Smith-Njigba is a downfield threat, leading the NFL in receptions and yards (683) on passes 20-plus yards downfield this season. His 974 yards on passes thrown outside the numbers this season is 222 more than the next-closest player.
Brady Henderson breaks down the Seahawks’ injuries ahead of Week 18.
The Seahawks could be down to their third-string left tackle, undrafted rookie Amari Kight. They ruled out starter Charles Cross and have listed Josh Jones as questionable. Jones has filled in capably for Cross the past two games, but he suffered knee and ankle injuries against Carolina that kept him from practicing Tuesday and Wednesday before he returned Thursday as a limited participant.
The Seahawks’ defense will likely be without safety Coby Bryant, who’s doubtful with a knee injury that also sidelined him last week. The good news there is that Ty Okada has been an unsung hero this season while making nine starts for Julian Love and one last week for Bryant.
Another piece of good news for the Seahawks: Wide receiver and kick returner Rashid Shaheed cleared concussion protocol this week after leaving last week’s game against the Panthers.
It has happened three times in franchise history. Not coincidentally, those were the three times the Seahawks made the Super Bowl.
The most recent was in 2014, the year they came a yard away from claiming their second straight Lombardi Trophy. The Seahawks went 12-4 in the regular season before beating Carolina in the divisional round and then Green Bay in overtime in the NFC Championship Game, after they improbably erased a 12-point deficit in the final four minutes.
The Seahawks went into the final weekend of the 2019 season with a chance to claim the No. 1 seed with a win and some help. But by the time they kicked off against the 49ers, it was no longer in play for Seattle. So this will be the first time since 2014 in which the top seed will truly be on the line for the Seahawks in their regular-season finale. — Henderson
Absent star defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner, the Niners’ defense has struggled mightily down the stretch, particularly when facing more efficient offenses. While Seattle’s defense is the better side of the ball, the offense has been no slouch despite some late-season hiccups.
But the Seahawks also have a penchant for giving the ball away. Seattle has 28 turnovers this season, second most in the NFL with Darnold responsible for a league-high 20 of those.
Those giveaways have become even more common in the past seven games, as Darnold has 10 turnovers in that span. It’s why a hot start that had Darnold — who spent the 2023 season with the 49ers as Purdy’s backup — in the MVP conversation has given way to observers wondering if he can do enough to guide an otherwise well-rounded team on a deep playoff run.
The Niners’ defense, meanwhile, has made its living this season off limiting explosive plays, forcing field goal attempts and coming up with the occasional fourth-down stop or red zone turnover.
Aside from that, though, there hasn’t been a whole lot of resistance from Robert Saleh’s patchwork unit. And taking the ball away is probably second only to pass rush in areas the Niners would like to improve defensively.
San Francisco is tied for 22nd in takeaways this season with 16 and has had none in seven of its 16 games. Coincidentally, it was a late-game forced fumble from Bosa that clinched San Francisco’s Week 1 win against Seattle.
There will be no Bosa to bail the Niners out this time. The numbers suggest Seattle will give someone else a chance to make that key play that could win the game, but it’s still fair to wonder who on the Niners’ defense will be the one to capitalize when that opportunity arises.
There’s a case to be made that Purdy is playing the best ball of his still young career. Since returning from a toe injury in Week 11, Purdy has thrown 16 touchdowns with five interceptions and added three rushing scores. He’s not qualified because of time missed, but if he was, Purdy’s 77.8 QBR would lead the NFL.