Keys to Victory: Seahawks vs. 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round

For the third time in franchise history, Seattle meets San Francisco in the postseason. Playing as the No. 1 seed is a good omen for the Hawks, as they’re 6-0 all-time against the NFC as the top seed, and one of those wins came against the Niners in the 2013 NFC Championship Game.

Here, we preview the most important keys to determining a Seahawks win today.

5. Clutch up the Red Zone

Seattle’s biggest blemish of the Week 18 win at San Francisco was their inefficiency in the red zone. The Seahawks went four-and-out near the goal line on the first drive, forced to kick a field goal on their next attempt (all the way into the fourth quarter), and then a 26-yard missed field goal to cap the night. Interestingly, the Seahawks won their only two games with all red zone opportunities missed, including Week 18 at San Francisco and last month hosting Indianapolis.

4. K9 and Charb Renaissance

The running back duo of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet exploded to one of their best games of the season against San Francisco, taking pressure off Sam Darnold and establishing great clock control. Given an improved and healthier offensive line, they should help the rushing attack to another strong game. Seattle enters the postseason hot on the ground: three of their five 150+ rushing yard games this season came in the final three weeks of the regular season.

3. Let Jaxon Fly

Seattle star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba earned a frontrunner spot for Offensive Player of the Year through his breakout WR1 season, totaling the fourth-most catches, the most yards, and 10 touchdowns. He caught nine catches for 124 yards in his first meeting against the 49ers, and six grabs for 84 yards in meeting No. 2.

2. Limiting CMC (again)

With star tight end George Kittle’s season over with an Achilles tear, the SF offense will even more heavily rely on Christian McCaffrey, the do-it-all running back. The 29-year-old put up consecutive 110+ yard performances heading into the Week 18 tilt against Seattle, but then got nothing going. He rushed for just 23 yards on eight carries, tied for his fewest carries and his fewest gained yards by two. The only other terrible performance was losing to the Houston Texans, perhaps the only defense better than Seattle. CMC’s rushing yards in San Francisco losses: 49, 54, 25, 30, 23. He averages 88 in the Niners’ wins, plus huge gains in the passing game.

1. Sam Darnold Ball Protection

San Francisco’s weakest unit is their pass rush, and Sam Darnold’s weakest aspect of his game is his ball protection. It’s a stoppable force against a movable object. Good news for Seattle: Charles Cross and the offensive line look good to go, and as long as Darnold holds in his turnovers, he’s just as good to go. When Darnold throws more passing touchdowns than interceptions, Seattle is 6-1 (only blemish the Tampa Bay loss in early October).