The Seahawks are back in the NFC championship game for the first time in 11 years thanks to Saturday night’s dominant 41-6 win over the 49ers.
Returner Rasheed Shahid set the tone with a 95-yard kick return to open the game, then the offense and defense took over from there. Seattle’s defense forced three turnovers, keeping the 49ers out of the end zone for the second straight game, and once again the run game, led by a three-touchdown performance by Kenneth Walker III, could not be stopped.
Here are six rapid reactions to Saturday night’s win:
1. The Seahawks were dominant in all three phases.
Seattle’s previous two games against the 49ers were low-scoring, tight games, and there was no reason to think a playoff meeting would be any different. But after Shaheed took the opening kick to the house, then the defense got to work getting big stops and turnovers, with the offense turning short fields into scores, the Seahawks were able to cruise to a lopsided victory over their NFC West rivals.
In addition to forcing three turnovers, forced fumbles by Ernest Jones IV and DeMarcus Lawrence and an interception by Jones, the Seahawks also had four fourth-down stops, and held the 49ers to just 236 yards and15 first downs.
Offensively, the Seahawks didn’t need a ton out of their passing game, but Sam Darnold was efficient and played turnover free, while the running game, led by Kenneth Walker III, piled up 175 yards on 33 carries.
