The Seahawks now know whom they are going to play to begin their playoffs. It’s an old, despised rival. In a rematch from a recent showdown.
Sixth-seeded San Francisco rallied from a deficit at halftime at Philadelphia Sunday to beat the third-seeded Eagles. The win over the defending Super Bowl champions makes the 49ers the lowest remaining seed in the NFC to win on wild-card weekend.
That means the 49ers (13-5) will play at top-seeded Seattle (14-3) in a showdown of NFC West rivals next weekend at Lumen Field in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
The league stayed with precedence and set the game for next Saturday, Jan. 17, either at 1:30 p.m. or 5 p.m.
The NFC’s top seed has played on the Saturday of the divisional round every playoffs since the end of the 2019 season. Including the AFC, at least one of the two conference seeds have played on that Saturday in round two every year since the 2016 season.
The league likes to reward the number-one seeds with the advantage of an extra day of rest and preparation should they win in divisional round to each of the conference championship games. Those are on the following Sunday, Jan. 25.
The Los Angeles Rams (13-5) will play the Bears (12-6) in Chicago in the other NFC divisional game.
This NFC West is the fourth division all-time to get three teams into a divisional round in the same NFL postseason. The others: the 2022 NFC East, the 1997 NFC Central and 1992 NFC East. In each previous instance, one of those three teams from the same division advanced to the Super Bowl.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) of the Seattle Seahawks looks on prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Jan. 3, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif. Lachlan Cunningham Getty Images
Seattle split its two division games against San Francisco this season.
In week one in September, the 49ers led 17-13 late in the game when Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold lost a fumble near the San Francisco 10-yard line in the final seconds of the game to ensure the Niners’ seventh victory in eight games against the Seahawks.
In week 18 Jan. 3 in Santa Clara, California, coach Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks defense dominated Kyle Shanahan’s offense in the NFC West title game. Seattle held San Francisco to 127 yards in a 13-3 win. It was the 49ers’ fewest points in a game in nine years.
Kenneth Walker III (9) of the Seattle Seahawks runs the ball against the San Francisco 49ers in the second quarter of a game at Levi’s Stadium on Jan. 3, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif. Lachlan Cunningham Getty Images
“You know, it’s a little funky going against a team two games in a row,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said to NBC in an interview broadcast Sunday night during halftime of its telecast of the Chargers-Patriots AFC divisional playoff game. “So we’ve got to do a great job of debriefing and having some answers, knowing that Kyle will have some stuff dialed up for us.
“They’re a heck of a team. We’ve got to play great situational football. They are so good on third down, really on both sides (offense and defense). And special teams. I mean, the starting field position was a big part of last game.
“We did a great job taking care of the ball on offense (against the 49ers Jan. 3). We attacked it on defense. We’ve got to be able to do that back at Lumen.”
The 49ers were already battered with All-Pros Fred Warner and Nick Bosa on injured reserve, among other injured starters. Then Sunday during their win at Philadelphia they lost All-Pro tight end George Kittle to a torn Achilles tendon.
“Losing George is different,” Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk told reporters in Philadelphia after the game. “That’s the heart and soul of our team. He brings so much energy and just [the] incredible player that he is. That definitely hurts a lot,
This is Seattle’s first time with a wild-card playoff bye and top seed since January 2015, at the end of its last Super Bowl season.
After two practices this week and this weekend off, Seahawks veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp said the Seahawks have a we-aren’t-satisfied attitude heading into the divisional round.
“We’re still under construction. We’re still working towards something,” Kupp said. “The attitude and the effort for the last couple of days, the focus that was in this room out in the walk-throughs and out there on the practice field speaks about the guys that we have here.
“Everyone is excited about this opportunity. We’re going to take these next few days and recover and come back ready to go.”
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) fumbles the ball and it is recovered by Los Angeles Rams cornerback Cobie Durant (14) during the second quarter during the second quarter of the game at Lumen Field, on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. Brian Hayes [email protected]
This story was originally published January 11, 2026 at 4:46 PM.
Gregg Bell
The News Tribune
Gregg Bell is the Seahawks and NFL writer for The News Tribune. He is a two-time Washington state sportswriter of the year, voted by the National Sports Media Association in January 2023 and January 2019. He started covering the NFL in 2002 as the Oakland Raiders beat writer for The Sacramento Bee. The Ohio native began covering the Seahawks in their first Super Bowl season of 2005. In a prior life he graduated from West Point and served as a tactical intelligence officer in the U.S. Army, so he may ask you to drop and give him 10.
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