The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 41-6 Jan. 17 at Lumen Field, earning a spot in the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game.
The 49ers won the coin toss and opted to defer. The Seahawks took advantage of this opportunity with return specialist Rashid Shaheed taking it to the house for the home team, giving Seattle an immediate seven-point lead just 13 seconds into the game.
The 49ers got the ball back and had a chance to fire back. On the first play, the Seahawks defense quickly found a hole in the 49ers’ offensive line, nearly sacking quarterback Brock Purdy and forcing a loose ball that was recovered by the Seahawks defense, seemingly giving the Seahawks their second score of the game. The call was deemed an incomplete pass, bringing the 49ers to second and 10. The 49ers did not score on this drive.
The Seahawks’ second drive of the game ended with the 49ers holding the Seattle offense to a field goal, giving the home team a 10-0 lead. The 49ers didn’t have the ball for very long after Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV forced a fumble that was recovered by Seattle safety Julian Love.
With the ball on the five-yard line, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold faked a handoff and threw to Smith-Njigba, tumbling onto a cameraman, scoring the home team’s second touchdown of the game.
San Francisco attempted to rally in the third quarter but ultimately failed to convert key third downs and red-zone opportunities. The 49ers picked up their only two scores of the game in the second quarter, both coming from field goals. With less than a minute till halftime, running back Kenneth Walker III powered through San Francisco’s defensive front, scoring yet another touchdown for the Seahawks. The Seahawks led 24-6 going into halftime.
The Seahawks shut out the 49ers in the second half and picked up three more scores, ending San Francisco’s season in a dominant fashion, 41-6. The team once overlooked during the preseason is now standing among the final contenders in the NFC.
Walker was the leading scorer for the Seahawks, rushing for three touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
For students at Seattle University, this match-up has been looked forward to for weeks in advance; the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry has been one of the most intense in NFL history, extending beyond cities and stadiums, into classrooms, residential halls and the Student Center. Before the game, opinions across campus were divided.
Victor Tran, a first-year kinesiology major, predicted the Seahawks would overwhelm the 49ers with the strength of their offense.
“The Seahawks’ offense has got a lot of weapons: great running backs, receiver core, and a quarterback that can sling the ball,” Tran said.
Lucius Turkalj, a third-year business economics major from the Bay Area, has supported the 49ers and expected a close game. Instead, he and many other 49er fans watched as their team fell short early and never recovered.
“The rivalry is part of the fun. If I had to describe the game: invested, the 49ers have won once; the Seahawks have won once, so this is essentially the tiebreaker. Regardless of whether the 49ers win or lose, it is not the end of the world. I know [the] Seahawks are second best, so let’s go Niners, let’s go Bay,” Turkalj said.
Rick Malleus, a professor at Seattle U, has lived and taught in Seattle for nearly two decades. Earlier in the week, he predicted a tense and close matchup.
“I figure the teams are going to score in the low twenties and it’s going to be a one-score game,” Malleus predicted prior to the Jan. 17 game.
The energy after the Seahawks secured the win echoed throughout downtown. Watch parties and celebrations stretched into the late evening. The Seattle Seahawks are now preparing for the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams Jan. 25.
