Seahawks-49ers Preview: What to know about this seismic showdown

As regular-season games go, they simply don’t get any bigger than this.

The Seattle Seahawks (13-3) and San Francisco 49ers (12-4) are squaring off in a seismic Week 18 showdown Saturday night in the Bay Area, with the winner earning both the NFC West title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

Several franchise records within reach for Seahawks in finale

Since the NFL adopted its current divisional format in 2002, this is just the second time that two teams will meet in a regular-season finale with the winner guaranteed the No. 1 seed, according to The Associated Press and Sportradar.

Ironically, the only other instance came in last year’s Week 18 clash between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings – back when current Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was the Vikings’ signal caller.

This Seahawks-49ers showdown will also be the first regular-season finale in NFL history where both teams are riding win streaks of at least six games, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

Here’s a closer look at this heavyweight battle.

The stakes

For the Seahawks, it’s simple.

If the Seahawks win or tie, they would claim their 12th division title in franchise history and their fourth-ever No. 1 seed. That would give them a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, which means they would be two home playoff wins away from reaching the Super Bowl.

If the Seahawks lose, they would drop to the No. 5 seed. That would leave Seattle needing to win three playoff games to reach the Super Bowl – with all three likely coming on the road. In this scenario, the Seahawks would open with a wild-card round matchup at the NFC South champion, which would be either the Carolina Panthers (8-8) or Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9).

NFL playoff picture

So, just how significant is the difference between the No. 1 and No. 5 seeds?

Well, for starters, all three of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl trips came as a No. 1 seed.

And from a league-wide perspective, 24 of 46 No. 1 seeds have reached the Super Bowl since the NFL’s current divisional format began in 2002. During that same span, just four wild card teams made it.

What’s changed since Week 1

Nearly four months ago, the 49ers rallied for a 17-13 season-opening win over the Seahawks in Seattle.

Since then, the Seahawks have won 13 of their past 15 games, with their only two losses over that span coming by a combined five points. And the 49ers, despite another avalanche of injuries, have improbably weathered the storm to put themselves in this position.

From a personnel perspective, plenty has changed since these teams’ Week 1 encounter.

Most notably, the 49ers are without a pair of defensive superstars in five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa and four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner, who both suffered early-season injuries.

And on the flip side, the Seahawks are poised to have standout rookie safety Nick Emmanwori this time around. Emmanwori was limited to just four snaps in the Week 1 matchup before suffering an ankle injury.

Injury concerns at left tackle

Both teams have injury issues at left tackle.

Seahawks starting left tackle Charles Cross (hamstring) will miss his third straight game. And backup Josh Jones (ankle, knee), who started in place of Cross the past two games, is questionable after getting hurt this past Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

If Jones can’t play, Seattle would be down to third-string left tackle Amari Kight, an undrafted rookie out of Central Florida.

Seahawks-49ers Injury Report: Shaheed to play; Cross ruled out

For the 49ers, 12-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams (hamstring) is questionable after getting hurt in the opening minute Sunday night against the Chicago Bears. Williams didn’t practice all week. Fifth-year pro Austen Pleasants, who filled in for Williams against the Bears, would make his first career start if Williams is out.

49ers offense vs. Seahawks defense

This is a strength-on-strength collision between two of the NFL’s best units – and two of the league’s top play-callers in 49ers offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan and Seahawks defensive guru Mike Macdonald.

The 49ers’ offense has been red-hot since quarterback Brock Purdy returned from an early-season toe injury in mid-November, averaging 35.7 points per game during their six-game win streak. And they’ve gone nuclear the past two weeks, piling up 48 points against the Indianapolis Colts and 42 against the Bears.

On the other side, the Seahawks’ second-ranked scoring defense is allowing just 18.1 points per game. Led by a dominant defensive front and steady play at all three levels in Macdonald’s cutting-edge scheme, Seattle has yielded a league-low 3.7 yards per carry and a league-low 6.1 yards per pass attempt, while holding 12 of 16 opponents to fewer than 300 total yards.

Seahawks offense vs. 49ers defense

Over the first 10 weeks of the season, Darnold and star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba led an explosive Seattle passing attack that averaged a league-high 9.5 yards per pass attempt. But opposing defenses have adjusted, placing an emphasis on limiting big plays over the top. It’s worked, as the Seahawks are 16th in yards per pass attempt since Week 11.

However, Seattle’s rushing attack has started rounding into form while taking advantage of the lighter boxes. After ranking 29th in yards per carry through the first 10 weeks, the Seahawks rank ninth since Week 11. Over the past two weeks, they ran for 171 yards against the Los Angeles Rams and 163 yards against the Panthers.

Meanwhile, the 49ers’ defense has struggled mightily of late, allowing 29.7 points and 455.3 total yards per game over the past three weeks. The unit has been hit hard by injuries, with Bosa, Warner and others missing the vast majority of the season. Bosa’s absence, in particular, has showed itself in a toothless 49ers pass rush that’s produced the league’s third-worst pressure rate and a league-low 18 sacks.

Special teams

The 49ers are above-average on special teams, but the Seahawks have the edge in this phase with one of the league’s best units.

Seattle has made a slew of impact plays on special teams, tallying two punt return touchdowns, a kick return touchdown, two blocked field goals, a blocked punt and a rare end-zone fumble recovery touchdown on a kickoff. Veteran kicker Jason Myers has also been sensational, hitting 26 of his past 27 field goals.

What about the turnovers?

The Seahawks’ biggest Achilles heel is their propensity for turning the ball over. Seattle has 28 giveaways, which are the second-most in the NFL. That includes a league-high 20 turnovers from Darnold.

But the good news for the Seahawks? The 49ers aren’t particularly good at generating takeaways, which makes sense given their struggling pass rush. San Francisco has just 16 takeaways this season, which is tied for 22nd.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Lenoir’s comments add extra juice to Seahawks-49ers showdown
• An intriguing matchup will be key for Seahawks’ D against Niners
• Bump: It’s the Seattle Seahawks O-line’s time to shine vs 49ers
• Jeremiah: What’s changed since Seahawks’ Week 1 loss to 49ers
• The Reset: The reasons why Seattle Seahawks will beat the 49ers

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