Very little about the seasons for the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers have gone according to preseason expectations. The Seahawks even being here is a shock. The 49ers aren’t led by Trey Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, but rookie seventh-round pick Brock Purdy. The 49ers enter the game as more than a touchdown favorite as they look to make another deep run in the playoffs.
Kickoff is set for 4:30 pm ET Saturday from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The game will be televised nationally on FOX.
Seattle’s trip to the playoffs is one of the most surprising developments in the NFL this season. After trading long-time quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver and beginning what looked to be a massive rebuild, the Seahawks were a popular pick to be one of the NFL’s worst teams this season. But thanks to a shockingly good year from veteran quarterback Geno Smith (30 touchdown passes, more than 4,000 yards passing, a 100.9 passer rating and only 11 interceptions), the Seahawks were able to win nine games and sneak into the final playoff spot in the NFC despite having one of the league’s worst defenses.
The 49ers have had their quarterback surprise, with Purdy coming out of nowhere late in the year due to injuries to Lance and Garoppolo. Purdy enters Saturday’s game with 13 touchdown passes, while the 49ers have won all five games he has started.
He will be just the fifth rookie quarterback drafted in the fourth round or later to start a wild-card round game. The previous four quarterbacks (TJ Yates, AJ McCarron, Connor Cook and Aaron Brooks) are 2-2 in those games.
It helps that San Francisco has what might be the NFL’s best roster around its quarterbacks, boasting a dominant defense, a superstar tight end in George Kittle and a huge trade deadline acquisition in Christian McCaffrey.
San Francisco swept the regular season meetings by a combined 48-20 margin.
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(Photo of Christian McCaffrey: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)
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