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The San Francisco 49ers didn’t get the ending they wanted in Week 18, but head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear the disappointment won’t define what comes next.
After Saturday night’s 13-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, which cost San Francisco both the NFC West title and a first-round bye, Shanahan addressed the reality of heading into the postseason away from Levi’s Stadium. Rather than frustration, the head coach struck a tone of resolve.
“We’re ready for it. It would have been nice to have home game here, both home games and get a bye, but it is what it is,” said Shanahan. “This team has been through a lot this year and now we got to do it the hard way. We’ll embrace it by doing it the hard way and we’ll look forward to it.”
That mindset came after a night where Seattle dictated nearly every phase of the game. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald once again proved he has answers for Shanahan’s offense, as Seattle’s defense suffocated a unit that had been among the NFL’s most explosive in recent weeks.
Seattle struck early when Zach Charbonnet broke loose for a 27-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, the game’s only touchdown. From there, the Seahawks never relinquished control, a troubling pattern for a Shanahan-led team that thrives when playing from ahead.
Brock Purdy finished the night completing 19 of 27 passes, but for just 127 yards and an interception. Christian McCaffrey was similarly bottled up, managing only 32 rushing yards on eight carries. A dropped pass by McCaffrey that turned into an interception further underscored how little margin San Francisco had.
The loss drops the 49ers to 12-5 and guarantees a road game in the wild-card round, with their final seed, No. 5 or No. 6, to be determined by Sunday’s results. Meanwhile, Seattle clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the division, evening the season series with San Francisco at 2-2.
For Shanahan, though, the bigger picture remains intact. This roster has weathered injuries, pressure, and late-season expectations before. Now, the path simply requires more travel. And if the 49ers are going to make a deep postseason run, it will start exactly how Shanahan framed it by embracing the hard way.
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