Why facing 49ers is one of Seahawks’ best playoff scenarios

The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are about to write another chapter in their heated rivalry.

Date, potential start times set for Seahawks-Niners playoff clash

The 49ers make the trip to Lumen Field on Saturday in the divisional round of the playoffs for the third installment of the rivalry clash this season, and it will come just three weeks after the Seahawks earned a convincing 13-3 win over San Francisco in the regular season finale to clinch the NFC West and the conference’s top seed for the playoffs.

The matchup against the 49ers wasn’t the most ideal possibility for the Seahawks. After all, San Francisco was only one win away from being the top seed, and there was a slim possibility that the eight-win Carolina Panthers, who ended up losing in the wild-card round to the Los Angeles Rams, could have been Seattle’s divisional round foe.

However, the 49ers might be the next-best opponent for Seattle to get this weekend.

“This had to be the second-best scenario after Carolina, right?” Mike Salk said on Monday during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “Now, you’re always careful what you wish for in the NFL. The moment you think one thing is the moment this league burns you because it is an any-given-Sunday league.”

Salk pointed out two reasons why he believes a clash with San Francisco is beneficial, the first being what’s changed for the two teams in the short time since they last met.

Both teams will have their starting left tackles back. Seattle’s Charles Cross is set to return to action for the first time since Week 15, and 12-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams made his return for San Francisco during wild-card weekend. Salk sees that as a little more of an advantage for the 49ers, but the pendulum swings the Seahawks’ way when the injury situations for each team are taken into consideration.

The Seahawks are also set to have starting safety Coby Bryant back, and rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo could make his return after being designated to return to practice from injured reserve last week. Meanwhile, the 49ers lost seven-time Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle to a torn Achilles tendon on Sunday, and head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the game that four-time All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner’s chances of returning from an ankle injury that forced him to miss the final 11 games of the regular season are “not very high.”

On top of the advantage the Seahawks have health-wise, Salk highlighted the schedule as being in favor of them as well. They will be coming off a bye and two full weeks of rest. The 49ers will be playing on just six days rest after making an East Coast trip, and it will be the third time in their past four games they played on short rest.

“I don’t know what else you could ask for if you’re the Seahawks,” Salk said.

Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Seattle Seahawks to host NFC West rival 49ers in divisional round
• What’s helped the Seattle Seahawks’ surging run game get untracked
• Seahawks match franchise record with 5 All-Pro selections

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