SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) 鈥� The playoffs start a week early for the and .
The top two teams in the NFC West will square off Saturday night in a rare regular-season game with such high stakes as the winner will earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a first-round bye and home-field advantage before the Super Bowl.
鈥淚 think in football, out of all sports, home-field advantage is the biggest advantage because I think crowd noise truly affects the game in terms of pass rush and things like that,鈥� 49ers coach Kyle Shahanan said. “But, the main thing is just it鈥檚 one less game. I鈥檇 love to be home. That鈥檚 our goal. If that doesn鈥檛 work out, we鈥檙e excited to go on the road, too.鈥�
This game between the Seahawks (13-3) and 49ers (12-4) marks just the fourth time since seeding began in the NFL in 1975 that two teams will play on the final week of the season with the winner guaranteed the No. 1 seed, according to Sportradar.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold lost in this spot last year with Minnesota against Detroit, with the only games with stakes like this coming in 1993 when Dallas beat the New York Giants on the way to a second straight Super Bowl title and in 1979 when Dallas beat Washington.
The game in 2019 came close with the Niners clinching the top seed with the win that was sealed when San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw tackled Jacob Hollister at the 1 on fourth-and-goal in the closing seconds. A Seattle win that night would have given the Seahawks the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
鈥淚 thought it was one of the best plays ever,鈥� Shanahan said. “Just watching everyone run on the field after it, it was just a fun, intense game. … It鈥檚 a good reminder of how quick things can change. It all comes down to the wire and started to look bad there for a second and then Greenlaw made one of the best plays I鈥檝e ever seen.鈥�
The two rosters have undergone nearly a complete overhaul since that game six years ago with only seven players who appeared in that game currently on the active rosters of the two teams.
鈥淭hat game right there definitely left a sour taste in my mouth,鈥� said Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who was a part of that game. 鈥淚 remember that play like it was yesterday. You don鈥檛 forget those types of games; it鈥檚 a big moment. We鈥檙e not going to shy away from that. It鈥檚 down to it, everything is on the line right now and we know that.鈥�
Running games heat up
Despite the presence of Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco鈥檚 running game struggled to get going for much of this season. That鈥檚 undergone a dramatic change in recent weeks.
After ranking last in the NFL in yards per carry in the first 10 weeks at 3.51, the 49ers have gotten going down the stretch run. San Francisco is averaging 4.69 yards per carry the past three games and ranks third with 161 yards per game in that span.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just a collective effort of guys just sticking to the plan, continuing to get better,鈥� McCaffrey said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not one answer. I think it鈥檚 11 guys just committing to it. … I think we鈥檙e seeing it and hitting it, and we just got to keep it rolling.鈥�
The Seahawks have seen a similar recent turnaround.
Following a thrilling 38-37 overtime win against the Rams where they rushed for 171 yards, Seattle rattled off 163 yards rushing in its victory over Carolina, led by Zach Charbonnet鈥檚 season-high 110 yards.
But it won鈥檛 be easy on Saturday against the 49ers鈥� sixth-ranked rushing defense, which allows an average of 103 yards per game.
鈥淲e鈥檝e stuck to our process,鈥� Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. 鈥淩eally believed in what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Can Seattle鈥檚 front 7 put pressure on Purdy?
Brock Purdy has been playing at an MVP level and peaking at the right time for the 49ers. During the last three games for San Francisco, he has thrown for 893 yards with 11 TDs, two TD runs and a 131.5 passer rating.
It’ll be critical for the Seahawks to put pressure on the 49ers鈥� offensive front, which could be without tackle Trent Williams after he suffered a hamstring injury against Chicago. Regardless, they鈥檝e done a fine job of protecting Purdy, allowing one sack in each of their wins over Chicago and Indianapolis.
The 49ers now have scored 40 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1995.
鈥淲e know they鈥檙e a good offense and we鈥檙e a good defense,” defensive tackle Jarran Reed said. 鈥淪aturday is going to speak for itself.鈥�
Schedule concerns
The game being moved to Saturday night wasn’t beneficial to either team with Seattle coming off a cross-country trip to Carolina and San Francisco playing back-to-back games on short weeks after a Monday night game in Indianapolis in Week 16.
Neither situation is extremely common.
The Seahawks are the 20th team in the past three seasons to play back-to-back road games with the second coming on a short week. The previous teams went 6-13.
The 49ers will be the 15th team in the past three seasons to play back-to-back short weeks, with the previous 14 splitting the games.
鈥淥nce you find out, you spend 10 seconds bitter about it and then you say, 鈥業t is what it is,鈥� which is how it always is,鈥� Shanahan said. 鈥淚 mean, whatever your schedule is, whenever it is.鈥�
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