Instant Reaction: Seahawks beat Niners for NFC’s No. 1 seed

Home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs is in the hands of the Seattle Seahawks.

Seahawks beat 49ers | Instant Reaction | Box score

With the conference’s top seed, a first-round bye in the playoffs and the NFC West title on the line, the Seahawks used a dominant defensive effort to beat the rival San Francisco 49ers 13-3 on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Here is the instant reaction to the Seahawks’ massive victory from the voices of Seattle Sports, including Seahawks Radio Network analyst Dave Wyman’s thoughts in the video at the top of this post.

Mike Salk – Brock and Salk (6-10 a.m. weekdays)

The Seahawks defense has been dominant for months. But they saved their best effort for last, or at least the last game of the regular season. They embarrassed a lot of bad offenses this year. From New Orleans to Arizona to Minnesota, Atlanta and Carolina. But what they did to the Niners was truly special. They took one of the best offenses in the league and beat it in every possible way. They stopped the run. They stopped the pass. They got to the quarterback. They forced a huge turnover. They were nasty on third downs and in the red zone. And, more than anything, they hit everything that moves.

Football is still, at its core, a physical game. And the everlasting image of this game will be Brock Purdy twitching on the ground after getting hammered by Derick Hall and Leonard Williams on his final attempt of the game. But it wasn’t just him and it wasn’t just that play. It was every member of that unit doing it play in and play out.

And it was Sam Darnold playing a turnover-free game that let the talent around him shine. If he continues to do that … this team is unstoppable.

Bob Stelton – Wyman and Bob (2-7 p.m. weekdays)

A 14-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC! What an unbelievable end to the regular season. Once again, as it has done all season long, this defense came up huge when they needed it most!

The 49ers came into this game winning six in a row and seven of their last eight. This defense shut them down, dominated them and held them to just three points on their home field. I’ve run out of superlatives to attach to this defense. They have been absolutely outstanding, and that feels like an understatement.

The 13-3 final doesn’t even come close to representing how dominant the Seahawks were in this game. If not for Sam Darnold not seeing a wide-open Zach Charbonnet headed to the end zone in the first quarter and a couple of missed field goals by Jason Myers, this is a blowout.

Kudos to the offensive line that made it a very big night for this rushing attack. The Seahawks were able to dominate time of possession and bludgeon that 49ers defense with the success of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

Now it’s all in their hands. They get a chance to rest, heal up and prepare for their next opponent. And we get to watch the NFC have to come through Seattle. What a beautiful way to start the new year!

Mike Lefko – Wyman and Bob (2-7 p.m. weekdays)

The Seahawks just turned in the greatest regular season in franchise history.

What an inspired performance from the defense, completely shutting down a 49ers offense that had averaged nearly 42 points per game and barely punted in December.

The performance from the Seahawks’ rushing attack was nearly as impressive. The 88 yards in the first quarter set the tone for a team that controlled time of possession and broke the will of the 49ers defense as the game wore on, including a Kenneth Walker III run on third-and-15 to pick up a first down and eventually lead to points.

You can officially bury any lingering concern about Sam Darnold in a big game. He did exactly what was needed, protected the football and made a handful of big throws to keep drives alive. With this defense, that is the exact kind of game that will carry you throughout the playoffs and to a Super Bowl.

The path through the NFC runs through Seattle and as history has shown, when that happens the Seahawks go to the Super Bowl.

More on Seattle Seahawks’ win

• Seahawks beat 49ers, clinch NFC No. 1 seed for fourth time in team history
• Stacy Rost: Hawks show why their fatal flaw may not matter
• Seahawks’ season-long commitment to run game pays off in massive win
• 49ers’ offense goes silent against suffocating Seahawks defense
• The five biggest plays that delivered Seattle Seahawks’ win over 49ers

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