Sportsnaut
The Divisional Round matchups on Saturday wrapped up with a classic NFC West battle between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, this time with a trip to the NFC Championship Game at stake. Fittingly, a game between these two heated rivals just two weeks after their last meeting quickly turned into a one-sided thrashing on national television.
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from the 49ers vs Seahawks, with Seattle utterly dominating its rival to clinch the right to host the NFC Championship Game.
This is one of the reasons why Seahawks general manager John Schneider acquired Rashid Shaheed at the NFL trade deadline. He was not particularly productive as an offensive weapon in the Seattle offense, putting up just 252 scrimmage yards in nine games. As the Divisional Round demonstrated, though, he can be just as dangerous as a returner. Shaheed’s 95-yard kickoff return touchdown sent Lumen Field into a frenzy, only fueling the raucous home-field advantage you would expect when the Seahawks are playing at home. For good measure, he also added some explosive plays on offense and drew a big DPI.
It didn’t take long for the George Kittle injury to cost the 49ers in the Divisional Round. Already trailing 10-0 late in the first quarter, Brock Purdy hit tight end Jake Tonges for an 11-yard gain. Unfortunately for San Francisco, poor ball security from Tonges allowed the football to be ripped out with Seattle recovering it at the 49ers’ 43-yard line. Five plays later, the Seahawks found the end zone to make it a 17-point game.
The statistics were even better than his Week 18 performance in San Francisco that clinched the No. 1 seed. Kenneth Walker III was just as effective on Saturday night at home, stepping up with Zach Charbonnet leaving the game early with a knee injury, Walker was thrust into a featured role and excelled. Even when the San Francisco defensive line generated penetration at or behind the line of scrimmage, Walker found a way to get extra yards. He popped in a key touchdown before halftime, running through a defender on his way to the end zone, and put up over 100 scrimmage yards with remarkable efficiency on the ground. For good emasure, he drove the dagger into San Francisco’s heart with a 15-yard touchdown run. Evidently that wasn’t enough, as he punched in his third score in the fourth quarter to turn this rivalry game into a one-sided decimation. In a contract year, Walker is making himself more money with this late-season excellence.
Related: Projecting Landing Spots for Top RBs in NFL Free Agency, including Kenneth Walker
Even before the stinger injury, Christian McCaffrey could not get anything going against the Seattle defense in a must-win game. The All-Pro running back finished the first half with 68...
