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The Seattle Seahawks punched their ticket to the NFC Championship Game by defeating their division rival San Francisco 49ers 41-6 in Saturday’s divisional round playoff game.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold took the field amid doubts he would be able to play due to an oblique injury. Darnold threw for 124 yards and a touchdown amid concern for his first career playoff victory, while Seattle’s running game took care of most of the offense.
Running back Kenneth Walker III totaled 116 rushing yards with three touchdowns.
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Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers runs the ball after a catch during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks during the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lumen Field on January 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Harry Comment/Getty Images)
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy totaled 140 passing yards without a touchdown or an interception as he never managed to get the 49ers offense into the end zone, making only two field goals.
Seattle will now wait for the winner of Sunday’s other NFC Divisional Round game between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams to see who its opponent will be.
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Seattle hasn’t returned to the NFC Championship since 2014, when they looked to defend their Super Bowl title, beating Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers at home in that game, but then falling to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
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Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Seattle Seahawks scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lumen Field on January 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Darnold will look to put an exclamation point on a dramatic resurgence after a slow start to his professional career with the New York Jets. Darnold also found redemption after failing to play for the Minnesota Vikings late last season.
