What’s changed for Seahawks and 49ers since January

During their run to a Super Bowl title last season, the Seattle Seahawks overwhelmed the archrival San Francisco 49ers twice over a 15-day span in January.

How Seahawks and 49ers stack up in NFL power rankings

The Seahawks beat the 49ers 13-3 in a winner-take-all Week 18 clash for the NFC West crown, and then steamrolled San Francisco 41-6 in the divisional round of the playoffs two weeks later. Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense didn’t allow a touchdown in either game, resulting in two of the four lowest point totals for San Francisco since Kyle Shanahan took over as head coach in 2017.

The bitter rivals meet again on Sunday, with the Seahawks hosting the unbeaten 49ers in one of the biggest games of the young 2026 NFL season.

What’s changed for each team since this past January? Here’s a look at the most notable personnel and coaching differences.

49ers offense

• San Francisco has a new-look wide receiving corps. The 49ers added six-time Pro Bowler Mike Evans in free agency and reunited with Deebo Samuel, who spent 2025 with the Washington Commanders. Both have had strong starts this season. Evans has 213 receiving yards and two touchdown catches, while Samuel has totaled 259 scrimmage yards and three TD receptions. However, the Niners lost Jauan Jennings in free agency. Jennings led the 49ers wideouts in receiving yards in both 2024 and 2025.

• Seven-time Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle is healthy after missing the 49ers’ playoff loss to the Seahawks with a torn Achilles he suffered the week prior. Kittle did play in last year’s Week 18 matchup against Seattle, recording just five catches for 29 yards while playing through an ankle injury. Kittle is off to a blistering start this season, ranking third among all tight ends in receiving yards (244) and leading all tight ends in TD catches (four).

• For the first time since 2022, the 49ers will be without 10-time Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who suffered a knee sprain last week. Juszczyk’s absence creates a potentially major twist to this matchup. According to Sumer Sports, the 49ers have used “21” personnel – two backs and one tight end – on 40.8% of their snaps this season, which leads the league by a wide margin. And in their two January matchups against Seattle last season, that rate was even higher at 46%. Backup tight ends Luke Farrell and Brayden Willis could replace some of Juszczyk’s fullback snaps, but it seems likely that Shanahan will deploy “21” personnel less often on Sunday.

49ers defense

• San Francisco’s linebacking corps will be much more formidable than it was back in January. Four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner is back after suffering a season-ending ankle injury last October, and the 49ers reunited this offseason with standout linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who is back with San Francisco after a one-year hiatus with the Denver Broncos. Warner and Greenlaw both rank among the top 10 linebackers in Pro Football Focus grading this year.

• After finishing with a league-low 20 sacks last season, San Francisco has improved its pass rush by acquiring defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys and drafting edge rusher Romello Height with a third-round pick. The 49ers still rank near the bottom of the league with just six sacks, but they have climbed to sixth in ESPN’s pass rush win rate after ranking 29th last season. Odighizuwa and Height are both among the top 10 in pass rush win rate at their respective positions. However, the Niners are once again without five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa. He missed nearly all of last season with a torn ACL and is set to miss his third straight game with a calf injury.

• Former Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris took over as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator this season after Robert Saleh left to become the Tennessee Titans’ head coach. Morris previously spent three seasons in the NFC West as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator from 2021-23.

Seahawks offense

• Seattle’s running back rotation is much different than it was back in January, with Kenneth Walker III now starring for the Kansas City Chiefs and Zach Charbonnet on the physically unable to perform list as he works back from knee surgery. Walker had big performances in each of the past two Seahawks-49ers matchups, totaling 133 scrimmage yards in Seattle’s Week 18 win, followed by 145 scrimmage yards and three TD in the playoff rout. Charbonnet added 97 scrimmage yards and a TD in the Week 18 victory before tearing his ACL early in the divisional round game. On top of that, the Seahawks are also without rookie first-round draft pick Jadarian Price, who is on injured reserve with a chest injury. With Price out, Emanuel Wilson figures to receive the bulk of the backfield workload after totaling 120 scrimmage yards and two TDs last week – especially with George Holani listed as questionable with rib and knee injuries. Seattle’s other running back options are Velus Jones Jr. and recently signed Robert Henry Jr., neither of whom have a carry yet this season.

• The Seahawks are also missing starting right guard Anthony Bradford, who is on injured reserve with a knee/hip injury. Third-year pro Christian Haynes and rookie fifth-round draft pick Beau Stephens are expected to continue rotating in his place.

• Brian Fleury switched sides in the rivalry, taking over as Seattle’s offensive coordinator following Klint Kubiak’s departure to become the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coach. Fleury spent the previous seven seasons on Shanahan’s staff in San Francisco, where he served as the 49ers’ tight ends coach (2022-25), run game coordinator (2025), offensive quality control coach (2020-21) and defensive quality control coach (2019). Fleury’s extensive background with Shanahan’s scheme adds an intriguing twist to the matchup.

Seahawks defense

• Seattle returned 14 of its top 17 defensive players from last season in terms of snap counts. The only exceptions were starting safety Coby Bryant, third cornerback Riq Woolen and rotational edge rusher Boye Mafe, who each departed in free agency. The Seahawks haven’t skipped a beat, as their defense enters Sunday ranked No. 1 in both yards allowed per play (4.0) and DVOA. Ty Okada, who started last year’s Week 18 game while Bryant was sidelined with an injury, is set to make his season debut and start at Bryant’s former spot after missing the first four games with a hamstring injury. Nehemiah Pritchett has played well in Woolen’s former CB3 role. And Seattle’s pass rush remains strong, ranking seventh in sacks (11) and first in ESPN’s pass rush win rate (69%).

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• Seattle Seahawks Injury Report: Williams set to play; 2 out, 2 questionable
• ‘How about that?’: At long last, Seahawks finding success on screens
• Solak: How Seahawks’ Macdonald has ‘big edge’ over 49ers’ Shanahan

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