SEATTLE, Wash. – “Against them… we felt unstoppable.” Wise words postgame from Seattle Seahawks superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba as his Hawks utterly obliterated the San Francisco 49ers in a Divisional Round rout, 41-6.
The Seahawks opened the game lightning-quick: a 95-yard kickoff return dash from Rashid Shaheed opened the game 7-0 not even 15 seconds into the game.
“It’s rare to have a big play on the first play of the game, but when you are able to do that, it’s pretty crazy, man,” Seahawks corner Tariq Woolen said. “It was a big play for sure, it was exciting, and it was a great way to start off some playoff football.”
Quarterback Sam Darnold, feared to have a sidelining oblique injury, didn’t show any sign of slowing down. He efficiently dicing up the Niners to earn his first career playoff win, and he capped a solid performance with a touchdown to JSN.
“Him just, getting through whatever he has to get through during the week, and making sure he was ready to lead his troops out here today, so, we got his back,” Smith-Njigba said.
The ground game was even better despite the loss of Zach Charbonnet to a knee injury, as Kenneth Walker III paced Seattle. He rushed for well over 100 yards for just the third time this season, plus three scores.
“Credit to the guys and the guys I play next to, and us an offense as a whole just continues to get better,” Seahawks offensive lineman and former WSU Cougar Abe Lucas said.
But we can’t forget about the “Dark Side” defense. They forced three turnovers and now for second meeting in a row did not allow a San Francisco touchdown.
“Man, if you ain’t getting better throughout the season, the you doing something wrong,” Woolen said, “It’s a long season, but you gotta be a different person then for what you were at the beginning of the season. You gotta continue to grow to lead and find different ways to craft your game and hone in on being a great teammate.”
The win is Seattle’s largest-ever over an NFC opponent in franchise playoff history.
“I’m just thankful to be a Seahawk and playing with these guys,” rookie offensive lineman Grey Zabel said. “We have unbelievable players, but we have unbelievable human beings in this locker room, and that’s pretty fun, and not a lot of teams can say that.”
“You know, it feels great,” Seahawks safety Ty Okada said. “Just that 1-0 mentality that we bring into every single week, I think that helps us out tremendously.”
Seattle awaits their next opponent in tomorrow’s other divisional game, as either the No. 5-seeded Los Angeles Rams or No. 2-seeded Chicago Bears will meet the Seahawks right here again next Sunday at 3:30 pm for the NFC Championship and a spot in Super Bowl LX.
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