SEATTLE — Saturday, January 17, 2026 | NFC Divisional Playoffs | Lumen Field
Thirteen seconds. That’s how long it took for the Seattle Seahawks to grab control of their NFC Divisional playoff game against San Francisco.
Rashid Shaheed fielded the opening kickoff at the 5-yard line, found a seam up the right sideline, and sprinted 95 yards for a touchdown. The 49ers never recovered from that gut punch, falling 41-6 in front of 68,579 fans at Lumen Field.
FINAL: San Francisco 6, Seattle 41
The 35-point margin ranks as the second-worst playoff loss in San Francisco franchise history, behind only a 49-3 defeat to the New York Giants in the 1986 divisional round. For Seattle, the blowout win sends them to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2014 season.
Table of Contents
Walker Matches Franchise Playoff Record
Kenneth Walker III turned 19 carries into 116 yards and three touchdowns, matching Shaun Alexander’s franchise record for rushing scores in a playoff game. Walker found the end zone from 3 yards out in the second quarter, then added touchdown runs of 9 and 1 yards in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
| Player | Team | Carries | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Walker III | SEA | 19 | 116 | 6.1 | 20 | 3 |
| Brock Purdy | SF | 5 | 37 | 7.4 | 18 | 0 |
| Christian McCaffrey | SF | 9 | 29 | 3.2 | 8 | 0 |
| Zach Charbonnet | SEA | 5 | 20 | 4.0 | 15 | 0 |
Seattle’s ground attack finished with 175 yards compared to San Francisco’s 108. Charbonnet suffered a knee injury in the second quarter that will keep him out for the rest of the postseason.
Darnold Bounces Back From Last Year’s Playoff Disaster
Sam Darnold completed 12 of 17 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown despite dealing with an oblique injury that had him listed as questionable. The performance gave Darnold his first playoff win after he took nine sacks in a 27-9 loss with Minnesota last postseason.
Darnold connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 4-yard touchdown in the first quarter, capping a 17-0 opening period that buried the 49ers early.
“Can’t say enough great things about that defense. It was tough in training camp and OTAs going up against them. But I’m glad they’re on our side,” Darnold said.
| Quarterback | Comp/Att | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Darnold (SEA) | 12/17 | 124 | 1 | 0 | 2-18 | 106.2 |
| Brock Purdy (SF) | 15/27 | 140 | 0 | 1 | 2-16 | 56.4 |
Missing All-Pros Doom San Francisco
The 49ers took the field without tight end George Kittle (torn Achilles), linebacker Fred Warner (ankle), and defensive end Nick Bosa (knee). The absences showed immediately.
Brock Purdy threw for 140 yards but tossed an interception to Ernest Jones IV and fumbled once. San Francisco’s offense managed just 236 total yards and went 0-for-3 in the red zone. The only points came on field goals of 56 and 38 yards by Eddy Pineiro.
Christian McCaffrey carried nine times for 29 yards and caught five passes for 39 yards before a stinger knocked him out in the second quarter. He returned briefly in the third but left for good shortly after.
San Francisco Receiving Stats
| Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Tonges | 5 | 59 | 11.8 | 16 | 0 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 5 | 39 | 7.8 | 11 | 0 |
| Jauan Jennings | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 19 | 0 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 |
Tight end Jake Tonges led San Francisco with 59 receiving yards but lost a fumble and suffered a foot injury that knocked him out of the game.
Seattle Receiving Stats
| Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Kupp | 5 | 60 | 12.0 | 21 | 0 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 11 | 1 |
| Jake Bobo | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 16 | 0 |
| Kenneth Walker III | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 8 | 0 |
Cooper Kupp led all Seattle receivers with 60 yards on five catches. Smith-Njigba scored his first playoff touchdown on a 4-yard reception late in the first quarter.
Defense Forces Three Turnovers
Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense forced three turnovers while allowing just two Eddy Pineiro field goals. Ernest Jones IV intercepted Purdy in the second quarter, and the Seahawks recovered fumbles by Purdy and Tonges.
| Player | Team | Total | Solo | Sacks | TFL | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Kendricks | SF | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Devon Witherspoon | SEA | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dee Winters | SF | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ernest Jones IV | SEA | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Malik Mustapha | SF | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Leonard Williams | SEA | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Eric Kendricks led all players with nine tackles. Malik Mustapha and Leonard Williams each recorded a sack. San Francisco registered two sacks but couldn’t generate consistent pressure on Darnold.
Box Score: Team Statistics
| Category | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 15 | 19 |
| Total Yards | 236 | 281 |
| Passing | 128 | 106 |
| Rushing | 108 | 175 |
| Penalties | 3-36 | 2-5 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Third Down | 6-12 | 4-10 |
| Fourth Down | 0-3 | 0-0 |
| Red Zone | 0-0 | 4-6 |
| Possession | 28:49 | 31:11 |
Scoring Summary
| Q | Time | Scoring Play | SF | SEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14:47 | Rashid Shaheed 95-yard kickoff return (Jason Myers kick) | 0 | 7 |
| 1 | 10:23 | Jason Myers 31-yard FG | 0 | 10 |
| 1 | 3:14 | Sam Darnold 4-yard TD pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Myers kick) | 0 | 17 |
| 2 | 11:42 | Kenneth Walker III 3-yard TD run (Myers kick) | 0 | 24 |
| 2 | 7:05 | Eddy Pineiro 56-yard FG | 3 | 24 |
| 2 | 0:03 | Eddy Pineiro 38-yard FG | 6 | 24 |
| 3 | 8:22 | Jason Myers 27-yard FG | 6 | 27 |
| 4 | 10:18 | Kenneth Walker III 9-yard TD run | 6 | 34 |
| 4 | 2:41 | Kenneth Walker III 1-yard TD run | 6 | 41 |
Individual Stats: Kicking
| Player | Team | FG | Long | XP | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Myers | SEA | 2/2 | 31 | 3/3 | 9 |
| Eddy Pineiro | SF | 2/2 | 56 | 0/0 | 6 |
Looking Ahead
Seattle (15-3) will host the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 25. The Seahawks await the winner of Sunday’s divisional playoff between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams. A win would send Seattle to its fourth Super Bowl in franchise history and first since the 2013 season.
San Francisco (12-6) enters an offseason with major questions about the health of its star players. Kittle’s torn Achilles will require extensive rehabilitation. The front office must also address the immediate futures of Warner and Bosa as they recover from their respective injuries.
The 49ers haven’t missed this kind of firepower in a playoff game since the late 1980s, and Saturday’s result showed just how much talent San Francisco was missing. Seattle took full advantage, delivering a statement win that sends them one victory away from another Super Bowl appearance.
