Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers Divisional playoffs preview: Kick-off time, news, prediction and how to watch on DAZN

The Seattle Seahawks earned the NFC’s top seed, a first-round bye, and the right to host the Divisional Round at Lumen Field. What their regular season dominance didn’t earn was an easy playoff draw.

On Sunday night, the Seahawks face their division rivals and the NFC's sixth-seeded Kyle Shanahan-led San Francisco 49ers for the third time this season.

The script could hardly be written any better. These sides hate each other, split their regular-season meetings one win apiece, and have ended each other’s playoff runs before.

Now, as if the history between them needed another exciting chapter, there is a trip to the NFC Championship on the line and the chance to take one step closer to Super Bowl LX.

Before we get into everything you need to know ahead of what might be the most exciting game in the Divisional Round, a quick reminder to take advantage of DAZN's latest Game Pass offer, which brings you the entire playoff schedule - including the Super Bowl - for just £14.99.

Players to watch

We usually start by talking about the quarterbacks. It’s no slight on either signal-caller that we’ve gone in a different direction here, but rather a reflection of the fact that each side’s best player lines up elsewhere.

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, one of the few matchup-proof talents in the league, came within a whisker of becoming the second player in NFL history to record 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.

In the absence of San Francisco’s elite tight end George Kittle, who tore his Achilles in the 49ers’ Wild Card win over the Jaguars, and considering Seattle’s defense generates pressure at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL (39.1%), it stands to reason that McCaffrey will feature even more heavily than usual. Expect plenty of quick routes and checkdowns his way.

As the preferred outlet for quarterback Brock Purdy, McCaffrey will be hoping that wideouts Jauan Jennings and Demarcus Robinson - who dominated Jacksonville last weekend - can draw enough attention from Seattle’s secondary for him to find the space to do what he does best.

Given the defensive talent the Seahawks have at their disposal, the Purdy-led 49ers offense will need to be at its very best to give the team a chance of emerging victorious.

Defensive tackle Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams, linebacker Ernest Jones, safety Nick Emmanwori, and cornerback Devon Witherspoon lead a Seattle unit capable of shutting down even the most elite NFL offenses.

That group, along with several other contributors not singled out here, have helped the Seahawks defense rank in the top 10 in several categories, combining to make them the No. 2-ranked unit overall.

Because they are so dominant on that side of the ball, life is made a little easier for Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold. With 25 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 99.1, he certainly deserves partial credit for the Seahawks’ regular-season dominance.

With that said, while it would be reductive to suggest Darnold doesn’t have to win games himself, it’s also fair to say that no other quarterback still in the playoffs, perhaps with the exception of the Texans’ C.J. Stroud, has less on his shoulders when it comes to inspiring his team to victory.

Defense aside, the most dangerous weapon on the Seahawks’ roster is the player who has elevated Darnold’s game to new levels: the NFL’s leading receiver and the frontrunner for Offensive Player of the Year, Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

If Seattle’s passing game finds a rhythm, Smith-Njigba will be the reason. San Francisco leans heavily on Cover 4, and Smith-Njigba has made a habit of dominating against that shell. That adds up to what could be another stellar performance from the 23-year-old.

No game preview would be complete without mentioning Seattle’s ground game, led by the dynamic duo of Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. The tandem has, partly due to middling run blocking up front, combined to rank just 26th in the league at 4.1 yards per carry.

However, if Darnold and Smith-Njigba help the Seahawks build an early lead, Charbonnet and Walker have enough talent to help Mike Macdonald’s side control the clock and close out the game.

In the absence of Nick Bosa, and considering Keion White, who registered the 49ers’ only sack last weekend, is struggling to get healthy, it’s hard to see where San Francisco’s pass rush will come from. The team ranked last in the league with just 20 sacks and will need to manufacture pressure on Darnold if they are to pull off an upset.

Beyond the injuries already mentioned, the 49ers are keenly awaiting news on the potential return of linebacker Fred Warner, especially with Dee Winters still nursing an ankle injury. The four-time All-Pro has been sidelined since Week 6 but logged a limited practice on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, offensive tackle Trent Williams (hamstring) and wideout Ricky Pearsall (knee) are also question marks. Both are major contributors whose presence, or absence, could swing the outcome of this game.

Keys to the game

• Seattle’s defensive front: If the Seahawks win the line of scrimmage early, they have the tools to control possession and put the 49ers to the sword.
• Darnold’s decision-making: One bad throw changes the tone of the night. The journeyman has to take great care of the ball.
• Smith-Njigba in coverage: San Francisco knows full well what’s coming. Stopping it is another matter. JSN is a lock to be heavily involved.
• San Francisco’s injuries and resilience: They’ve done a great job of winning without their best players. With that said, if Warner, Williams and Pearsall are back, it will help no end.

Kickoff date, time, and location

• Date: Sunday, January 18 (Saturday in the US)
• Kick-off time: 1am GMT / 8pm ET / 5pm PT
• Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle

Prediction

Seattle comes in fresh after a week off, boasting a dominant defense that has bullied opponents all season long. San Francisco arrives short-handed, but full of the belief that they can topple their NFC West rivals.

Ultimately, San Fran has more questions, while Seattle has more answers. The 49ers deserve respect for getting here the hard way, but this feels like the point where the run ends.

I predict the Seahawks will prove deserving of the top spot in our latest power rankings and advance to the Championship game, where, if I'm right about the outcome of the other NFC Divisional game, they'll face Matthew Stafford's Rams.

Seahawks 24 - 17 49ers

How to watch the Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers on DAZN

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