Week 18: Seahawks. 49ers. This is it.
Seahawks will travel to Santa Clara with the NFC's top seed on the line.
Through all of the injuries and all of the adversity, the 2025 iteration of the San Francisco 49ers have found themselves in an unexpected yet familiar spot: vying for the NFC West title and the number one seed in the NFC. Over the last two weeks, everything has broken the right way for the 49ers in order to set up an epic week 18 clash with the Seattle Seahawks that will give one team a week off, and the other a cross-country road trip.
After a week one matchup that saw an improbable game winning touchdown from 49ers TE Jake Tonges and a game sealing strip sack from DE Nick Bosa, these teams have taken much different paths to a bookend matchup that is now an NFC West championship game. While the Seahawks managed their season relatively healthy, the 49ers have been ravaged by injury, including Bosa and all-everything LB Fred Warner on defense with QB Brock Purdy and TE George Kittle missing significant time on offense.
The 13-3 Seahawks will travel to Santa Clara to meet the 12-4 49ers looking to take advantage of a defense that has been porous at best the last several weeks while trying to slow the Purdy-led offense that has been putting up staggering numbers and over 40 points in each of their two games. The 49ers meanwhile will have to contain Offensive player of the Year candidate Jaxon Smith-Njigba that has gathered 1,709 yards receiving and ten touchdowns on the season. In the week one matchup, Smith-Njigba had nine catches for 124 yards and spent most of his day making life difficult for the 49ers’ secondary.
The stakes in this game are clear and couldn’t be higher for the 49ers: win and you don’t have to leave home until your season is over. A loss would send them packing for a trip to either Chicago or Philadelphia for Wild Card weekend,
Injury Report
While all indications are that TE George Kittle (Ankle) will suit up on Saturday Night, far less certain is the availability of LT Trent Williams (Hamstring). RB Christian McCaffrey is also nursing a sore back that flared up late in the 49ers victory against Chicago.
49ers
LT Trent Williams (Hamstring)
TE George Kittle (Ankle)
RB Christian McCaffrey (Back)
DL Keion White (Groin)
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (Knee)
CB Renardo Green (Neck)
CB Upton Stout (Concussion)
Seahawks
S Coby Bryant (Knee)
T Charles Cross (Knee)
T Abraham Lucas (Neck)
T Josh Jones (Ankle/Knee)
WR Rashid Shaheed (Concussion)
Matchups to Watch
Jaxon Smith-Njigba vs 49ers’ Secondary
Smith-Njigba has exploded as the Seahawks top receiving threat this year, and gave the 49ers fits in their week one matchup. While there has been speculation that CB Deommodore Lenoir will travel to follow JSN in an attempt to slow him down, that has not been the blueprint of the 49ers defense in the past. Expect Renardo Green to be in coverage against him as well as safety help over the top to limit any potential big plays.
Sam Darnold vs 49ers Pass Rush
The 49ers pass rush has been mostly absent in their last several games but will need to generate some form of pressure to attempt to rattle Darnold. While Darnold has a reputation to fold in big games, that will not happen if the 49ers defensive line cannot wreak some havoc in the backfield. Making Darnold uncomfortable and forcing bad decisions will be critical in the game.
Christian McCaffrey vs. the Seahawks Defensive Line
The Seahawks defense ranks sixth in the NFL in total defense, only allowing 292.9 yards per game. Their run defense ranks third, allowing only 94.4 yards per game and having only given up nine rushing touchdowns on the season. While the 49ers’ rushing attack has seemingly gotten back on track over the last few weeks, they will face a massive challenge in opening up run lanes for McCaffrey against this Seattle front.
The 49ers Win, IF…
If Brock Purdy continues to play at the level he has been and the offense continues to roll, the 49ers should be able to stay home for the playoffs. Trent Williams missing the game could present problems for the 49ers offensive line as the Seahawks defense will give them a much more difficult challenge than the Bears were able to last week. The 49ers defense will have to stiffen up and not allow JSN or the Seahawks run game to get going to avoid a third straight shootout for the 49ers.
The Seahawks Win, IF…
Should the Seahawks defense get to Purdy and not allow him to get into a rhythm passing the ball, Seattle will have an immediate advantage in the game. Sam Darnold avoiding any type of letdown and getting the ball to Smith-Njigba will create a lot of problems for the 49ers defense especially if the combination of Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet are having any kind of success running the ball.
Final Thoughts, Spread, and Prediction
The line for this game initially favored the home Niners but has shifted heavily to the Seahawks as they are now a 1.5-point favorite. With Brock Purdy playing at his best since taking over the starting job, I expect the Niners to come out swinging on offense, and to be able to do just enough to rattle Darnold on defense. At the end of the night, the clock for the 2025 Cinderella story of the 49ers will not strike midnight, and they will come away as NFC West champions with a week to rest before the divisional round.
Prediction: 49ers 34, Seahawks 24