49ers starting cornerback issues a message to the Seattle Seahawks before Saturday night's matchup for the NFC West.
Everything about Saturday night feels heavy with meaning.
The regular season comes to a close with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks meeting once again, this time with the NFC West crown and the conference’s top playoff seed on the line.
It’s the kind of moment players dream about, and for 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, it requires little extra motivation.
After San Francisco’s wild 42-38 victory over the Chicago Bears, Lenoir was asked about the upcoming matchup with Seattle. His response was brief, confident, and pointed.
“They know what time it is, I ain't got to say too much,” he said.
That mindset reflects a 49ers team that has weathered plenty this season and emerged stronger.
Saturday’s contest will be the second meeting between the longtime rivals, nearly four months after San Francisco opened the year with a narrow 17-13 win over Seattle in Week 1.
That early-season thriller now feels distant compared to what’s at stake this weekend.
The 49ers’ journey to this point has been anything but smooth.
By late October, the team sat at 5-3, a record that sparked skepticism about their ability to compete for elite positioning in the NFC.
Instead of faltering, San Francisco responded with a dominant stretch, going 7-1 since and surging back into the league’s upper tier.
For Lenoir, the turnaround has been especially meaningful.
“It’s a blessing,” he said. “A lot of people counted us out. To everybody else, we weren’t supposed to be where we’re at now. So just proving the doubters wrong feels great.”
The timing of the game adds another layer of difficulty.
With the kickoff coming on Saturday night, the 49ers face a short week of preparation. Still, the reward, clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, outweighs any inconvenience.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear that his team embraces the challenge.
“This is the game that we want,” Shanahan said. “We’d love an opportunity to never leave here again this year, and we’ve got that opportunity Saturday night.”
Recent history also leans heavily in San Francisco’s favor.
The 49ers have beaten Seattle in seven of the past eight matchups, including a Wild Card playoff victory following the 2022 season. Those wins, however, won’t matter once the ball is kicked.
The atmosphere at Levi’s Stadium is expected to mirror a postseason game, and Lenoir’s approach reflects that urgency.
“It’s playoff ball,” he said. “Playoff ball started for us already. We just keep doing what we’re doing, keep teams out of the end zone, and handle business.”
This time, words aren’t necessary. Both teams understand the stakes. As Lenoir said, everyone knows what time it is.