The 5 biggest plays that delivered Seahawks’ win over 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks may not have lit up the scoreboard, but they took care of business Saturday night by beating the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 to clinch the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed from the NFC to the postseason.

Seahawks beat 49ers | Instant Reaction | Box score

Five plays stand out as the most important from the Seahawks’ win. Here’s a look at each of them and why they were so crucial.

1. Zach Charbonnet’s 26-yard touchdown run

Highlighting the one touchdown of the game is pretty obvious, but Charbonnet’s run to paydirt had plenty of extra meaning.

There had to be concerns about the Seahawks’ offense after a disastrous end on the opening drive. After Seattle was given a first-and-goal on the 1-yard line due to a 49ers pass interference call in the end zone, quarterback Sam Darnold lost 11 yards by taking a sack on the very next play. Then Seattle went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 4, with Darnold’s pass for Cooper Kupp going incomplete.

That fourth down call proved to be helpful despite not working out, as Seattle’s defense made the 49ers go three-and-out and gave the Seahawks the ball back at San Francisco’s 35.

Seattle wasn’t out of the woods, though, facing third-and-2 at the 26 when Charbonnet broke through to give the Seahawks a lead they would never relinquish.

First of the night. 🚨 No stopping @zachcharbon 🙂‍↔️

📺: ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/Ms6Nt7kFFz

— x – Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 4, 2026

Charbonnet had 74 yards on 17 carries on Saturday, less than a week after rushing for 110 yards and two TDs in a win at Carolina.

2. Jarran Reed’s third quarter sack

The consensus at halftime was that the 49ers were fortunate to only be trailing 10-3 at that point, as Seattle had clearly outplayed San Francisco but had made mistakes to keep from building a commanding lead.

Coming out of halftime, the 49ers started moving the ball, putting together a pair of first downs to near midfield as they aimed to even up the score. But on second-and-7 from the San Francisco 45, quarterback Brock Purdy moved up into the pocket and right into the arms of veteran Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed for a huge sack.

QB down. 😈

📺: ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/UsDp07Kp7F

— x – Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 4, 2026

That stopped the Niners in their tracks, as they punted just two plays later.

3. Kenneth Walker III’s incredible run for a first down

Late in the third quarter, the Seahawks were heading in the wrong direction. Turns out they had the 49ers right where they wanted them.

On third-and-17, Kenneth Walker III ran for 19 of his game-high 97 yards to get Seattle a first down and keep the drive alive.

Amazing is right. 😮‍💨 @Kenneth_Walker9

📺: ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/7OIBP0RXKL

— x – Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 4, 2026

The drive would last into the fourth quarter, with Jason Myers hitting the second of his two field goals on the night to push Seattle’s lead to two possessions.

4. Drake Thomas’ interception

Perhaps the Seahawks got a bit lucky here, but linebacker Drake Thomas was in the right place at the right time for a play that more or less sealed the 49ers’ fate.

San Francisco was in the midst of its most successful drive of the game, threatening to finally score its first touchdown of the night. But on second-and-goal from the 6, star running back Christian McCaffrey coughed up a pass from Purdy right into the hands of Thomas, giving Seattle the ball with just 10 minutes remaining.

UNREAL INT BY THE SEAHAWKS! 😱

Drake Thomas picks off Brock Purdy after CMC bobbled the tipped pass ‼️ pic.twitter.com/NZ33omeJ0a

— ESPN (@espn) January 4, 2026

5. The 49ers turn it over on downs

Myers had missed his second of four field goal attempts on the night, giving San Francisco had one last chance to keep its hopes alive. But the Seahawks’ defense continued its incredible game by standing tall.

On the 49ers’ final drive of the night, they picked up just four yards, and it ended with Purdy throwing an incomplete pass and getting sandwiched by Seahawks defenders coming from opposite sides of the field, giving him a rather painful landing.

Seahawks defense stands strong to ice it ❄️

SEAvsSF on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/Z8y6AR4SPW

— NFL (@NFL) January 4, 2026

With San Francisco out of timeouts, the Seahawks were able to take a knee three times to wrap up the win in the biggest game of the season.

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 Seattle Seahawks defense

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