NFL

Winners and losers from the Seahawks’ historic blowout over the 49ers

ballervisions 2026年1月18日

That was easy, wasn’t it?

The Seattle Seahawks destroyed the San Francisco 49ers from the first kickoff until the final whistle. A 41-6 drubbing unlike anything Kyle Shanahan has faced in nine seasons as the 49ers’ head coach. Seattle hadn’t won a playoff game since the 2019 season, hadn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, hadn’t hit 49 at home since 2021, and ended all those droughts in spectacular fashion.

It’s time for winners and losers!

Seattle Seahawks winners

Kenneth Walker III is having the biggest night of his career

With Zach Charbonnet injured in the first half, there is no doubt that Kenneth Walker will be at the top. He also delivered more with 145 yards of total offense, 119 on the ground, and three touchdowns. Walker was hitting holes with confidence, finding his running backs, running between tackles, and showing off the speed he blew everyone away at Michigan State and his first year in Seattle.

I am very happy with the K9. Frustration and all of his injuries and performances over the past two seasons, he is playing the best football of his career.

Sam Darnold fights through injury, gets his playoff win

No, Darnold didn’t have some kind of monster game. He didn’t need to. Darnold was 12/17 for 124 yards and a touchdown, with several timely third-down throws and that 2nd-and-20 pass to Cooper Kupp in the first quarter. I’m sure Darnold not putting up flashy stats will do nothing to dispel doubters of his “big game” abilities, but who cares? No turnovers, accurate throwing, and playing within himself while battling an oblique injury.

Good for Sam to get his first playoff win, and now he has a running game to take some pressure off him and the passing attack as a whole.

Playoff Cooper Kupp enters again

Hey, Cooper Kupp still has a lot left in the tank! Who would have thought he would lead all receivers in yards with 60? His five catches were the most since a game against the Indianapolis Colts and the 60 yards were the most since a blowout against the Arizona Cardinals. If the Seahawks can get this version of Kupp for the rest of the playoffs, watch out.

Rashid Shaheed sets the tone early

That is one of the most memorable plays in Seahawks history. Opening the kickoff to the house to cause a Rashid earthquake? That’s three special teams touchdowns since arriving in Seattle, which is surprising. He then had a 30-yard run just before halftime that helped Seattle get that touchdown back. Even without being an impact player as a receiver, he’s still an impact player. Hey, he drew with DPI!

Jaxon Smith-Njigba gets his first touchdown against the 49ers

If I told you the Seahawks were going to win 41-6 and JSN had three catches for 19 yards, you’d think I’d be lying through my teeth. He scored his first TD against San Francisco, and Deommodore Lenoir can beat anyone else in Cancun.

MORE BOBO?!

Okay, just a little bit of Jake Bobo as a receiver. For a guy who had more penalties than ribs in a year and plenty of healthy bruises, he picked a hell of a time to show up as a welcome back. Darnold converted a crucial 3rd and 10 from Bobo just before halftime, turning the game into a 17-6 game and a potential field goal attempt to make it 24-6. Don’t underestimate the importance of that game.

The Seahawks offensive line is kicking ass again

John Benton, take a bow. The pass protection wasn’t a lie, but the run blocking was a sight to behold. It was bullyball at its best. Kenneth Walker had some rushing yards, Zach Charbonnet had one touchdown before his injury, and Rashid Shaheed had a touchdown on his 30-yard run. After years of being beaten by the 49ers in the running game against the defense, Seattle’s rushing attack dropped another 175 yards on the ground. This unit is playing at the right time, and I have to give a shout out to non-OL players like AJ Barner, Robbie Ouzts, and Eric Saubert for their contributions.

And what about Amari Kight? Key block on Walker’s second TD while filling in for injured Charles Cross. Jalen Sundell is stepping up to the second level and crushing people. Anthony Bradford had one missed block on 3rd and 1 and had no problems the rest of the night. It was the kind of football that Mike Macdonald envisioned and we have missed seeing for years now.

Clint Kubiak was undeterred by the head coach’s interest

The Seahawks offense ended their big drive. How about 4-of-6 in the red zone? There were few playcalls to complain about or question on a night when the Seahawks did whatever they wanted to the Niners’ defense. And with Kevin Stefanski going to the Atlanta Falcons, I think Kubiak’s chances of staying in Seattle have increased.

Ernest Jones IV is my hero

An interception and a forced fumble = two turnovers by Seattle’s superstar middle backer. In 2005, it was Lofa Tatupu. In 2013-2014, it was Bobby Wagner. 2025, by Ernest Jones IV. He’s a fan by nature instead of the big teams in Seattle, and it’s fun to see him play.

DeMarcus Lawrence was signed by John Schneider

Every week it seems like Tank Lawrence finds a way to turn back the clock. He almost had a sack (so Nick Emmanwori almost had a meaningful TD) in the 49ers’ first offensive game. Lawrence had a real takedown sack and Emmanwori was there to recover in what was very little rubbish time. He also pulled off that 4th pick play with Kyle Juszczyk and continues to provide more runs than I expected.

Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy are the leading interior DL in the NFL

How do you stop these guys consistently for more than 60 minutes? A trick question; you can’t do it. Williams had a sack on 4th down to start the second half, and Murphy was all over the place with great pressure and defense.

The second one hasn’t been discussed yet, which is good

San Francisco got Ricky Pearsall back. Did you make a difference? Does 0 holding 2 targets make a difference? You’ve got cardio, which is good for someone coming back from injury. San Francisco’s receivers caught three passes for a combined 24 yards on the night. Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, Coby Bryant, Julian Love, and Josh Jobe were doing their thing. When Purdy had time, no one was open.

Mike Macdonald prepared the group

I don’t want this to come across as a knock on Pete Carroll, but it doesn’t take much to look at the archives of Pete’s playoff games and see the Seahawks consistently trailing by double digits in the first half. It even happens in a few games, too. Ironically, Pete’s masterpiece was Super Bowl 48 where they stepped on the gas and went into fifth gear in an instant, and tonight was reminiscent of that performance.

Coach Macdonald had the Seahawks ready to go all out. There was no rust, there was no malfunction, there was just a clean ball. Seattle committed just two penalties, held nothing in back-to-back games for the first time in his young coaching career, and had very few turnovers on offense or defense. What more could you ask for? Macdonald has gotten more than just streaks as a top-level coach who is getting better.

Seattle Seahawks Losers

No one gets the name of a loser

Come on man! It’s 41-6 against a hated opponent. I don’t call anything bad tonight.

Final Notes

Nick Emmanwori was the pick of the first half, losing his ties to Jake Tonges and out of the flat. But still, he recovered a bit and broke off a Hail Mary touchdown at the end of the half.
Jason Myers eased any concerns about a potential slump after his brutal Week 18 showing. Michael Dickson was his usual exciting self on punt duties.
Do you see? We saw Drew Lock after all.
I hope Zach Charbonnet and Charles Cross are healthy after their injuries. Those were the only moments of truth all night.
One win away from reaching the Super Bowl. Bears, Rams, it doesn’t matter. They are on the road, which is amazing to think about if a fan with high hopes would be happy to make it to the playoffs and maybe even the Divisional Round. Of course I want the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl, but knocking the 49ers out of the way was out of the question for me.
Enemy Reaction is coming on Monday. That way we can get a Rams meltdown in there, too. Whether the Rams win or lose, 49ers fans won’t be getting any rest given everything that has gone awry from this week. Be patient my friends!