Seahawks dominate 49ers in stunning playoff upset. Kenneth Walker III fuels the offensive explosion, while the defense suffocates San Francisco.
The Seahawks didn’t just beat the 49ers 41-6 at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday night, they ended them before the appetizers hit the table.
From the opening kickoff, it was clear this one wasn’t going to be competitive.
Rashid Shaheed took the very first touch of the game and sprinted 95 yards to the house, casually brushing off a would-be trip attempt from 49ers kicker Eddy Pineiro like it was a mild inconvenience.
Lumen Field detonated. The tone was set. The rout was on.
By the time the smoke cleared, the Seahawks had hammered San Francisco and punched their ticket to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2014, and sent their division rival home questioning every life choice that led them here.
Kenneth Walker III turned the night into his personal highlight reel.
With Zach Charbonnet sidelined by a knee injury in the second quarter, Walker assumed full “feed me” status and responded with three rushing touchdowns - from seven, 15, then six yards - on his way to 116 yards on 19 carries.
He added three catches for 29 yards just to be thorough.
The Seahawks led 24-6 at halftime, 34-6 after three quarters, and frankly could have named the score if they felt like it.
Instead, they called off the dogs and let the defense continue doing what it’s done all season ... wreck people.
Seattle’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense suffocated the 49ers, holding them to six points, forcing three turnovers, and recording two sacks.
DeMarcus Lawrence was everywhere - a sack, two forced fumbles, and three tackles. Ernest Jones added six tackles, forced a fumble, and picked off Brock Purdy.
Leonard Williams delivered the backbreaker with a fourth-down sack that sucked the remaining air out of San Francisco’s sideline.
The numbers tell an even harsher story.
The 49ers punted only once - not because they were moving the ball, but because they turned it over on downs three times and coughed it up three more.
Seattle didn’t dominate yardage (281-236), but they dominated everything that mattered.
Sam Darnold, playing through an oblique injury and was efficient and calm, going 12-of-17 for 124 yards and a touchdown.
No hero ball. No panic. Just point guard quarterbacking.
Cooper Kupp caught five passes for 60 yards, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba added a touchdown grab.
For San Francisco, it was a nightmare.
Purdy threw for just 140 yards, lost a fumble, and tossed an interception. Christian McCaffrey was bottled up (35 rushing yards) and George Kittle’s absence loomed large.
This was Seattle reminding the NFC - loudly - that the road still runs through the Pacific Northwest.
Next stop is the NFC Championship Game, at home, against the winner of Rams vs. Bears on Sunday.