Darnold and Purdy prepare for a playoff-altering showdown. One quarterback's confidence, the other's strategic edge, fuels this NFC heavyweight clash.
The Seattle Seahawks (13-3) and San Francisco 49ers (12-4) are set to do battle on Saturday. The game has significant implications in the NFC playoff standings.
At stake is the difference between a No. 1 seed and a wild card spot for both the steady Seahawks and the surging 49ers.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold enters the game with the same confidence he entered the season. Darnold led the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 record a season ago. Now, he has the chance to give Seattle the same record with a win.
Darnold described what is at stake for the Seahawks in the matchup and what the team is focused on heading into the game.
"Just understanding the gravity of the game and all that stuff. But at the end of the day, it's just football. And I think that's the best part about it is people want to make it a little bit bigger than it is, but we're just going out there, we're playing against the Niners, a really good football team, a team that we're going to be prepared for, and it's going to be great though. The fans are going to be into it. It's going to be a great atmosphere, but other than that, it's football and we'll be ready to go for it."
The matchup is no less significant for the Niners and starting quarterback Brock Purdy, who is using the 49ers' Week 1 matchup against the Seahawks to prepare for what is ahead. Purdy discussed how the game will help inform the Niners' gameplan.
"I think just seeing our personnel versus their personnel, situational football, just things that you can definitely go back and see.
Yes, it was the first game of the season, so there are changes and things that go on during the season on both sides of the ball, but at the end of the day, those are the guys that we’re playing against. ... It is valuable to go back and watch that game."
Coming off an exciting 42-38 win over the Chicago Bears, San Francisco is riding a strong wave of momentum on both sides of the football. On the offensive side, the team can lean on the 42-point performance, but the huge defensive stop to end the game against Chicago gave the Niners a memorable confidence boost.
The Niners will look to close one of the most memorable No. 1 seed bids with a win against the Seahawks on Saturday.