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SAN FRANCISCO – The assumption before the season was that the Seattle Seahawks would be on the outside looking into the Super Bowl, but almost everyone was wrong.
The team’s offseason included a major overhaul, trading away Geno Smith, signing Sam Darnold and even letting DK Metcalf go to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Those moves proved to be for the better as they earned the NFC’s top seed with a 14-3 record and are now one win away from their first title in 12 years.
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Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers is tackled by Nick Emmanwori of the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lumen Field on January 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Harry How/Getty Images)
The Seahawks dismantled their division rival, the San Francisco 49ers, in Week 18 to earn the top seed and then did it again two weeks later in the divisional round.
“They’re a heck of a team. You know, they beat us in both of those games. They definitely had our number in both of those games. We had to play better, we had to limit our mistakes,” Christian McCaffrey told Pakinomist Digital on Radio Row.
“They’re a really well-coached team. Obviously, they have talent across the board, their defense is good, Sam leads the offense with Klint Kubiak,” added Brock Purdy. “They’ve done a really good job, man. They’ve earned it. They’re a team that we obviously have to be ready for every single week or every time we play them. Across the board, a really good team.”
Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers is pressed by DeMarcus Lawrence of the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter of the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lumen Field on January 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
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However, McCaffrey said the Niners weren’t exactly given the benefit of the doubt against the juggernaut with some schedule craziness.
“I don’t want to make excuses, but the NFL put us on three short weeks at the end of a season where we had a bye in Week 14. So they didn’t do us any favors in that,” McCaffrey said. “When you have so many injuries and you’re a bit decimated already, and then you put a team like that in short weeks, it makes it more challenging.
“But at the same time, those guys beat us, they beat us in every facet of the game. And if we want to win, we have to play better. It’s that simple.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards while catching 119 passes, 10 for touchdowns. Darnold also became the only quarterback to win 14 or more games for two different teams in back-to-back seasons.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks in action during the 2025 NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on January 3, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
They will face the New England Patriots at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, where McCaffrey and Purdy call home, on Sunday.
