Seahawks vs. 49ers | NFL Week 18 Breakdown & Best Bets: Wild Wild West
Written by: Varun Sharma
Last Update: Fri Jan 02, 2026, 3:36 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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The Seahawks and 49ers take the field this week with so much on the line. The winner of this game not only takes he NFC West, but winner finishes atop the entire NFC and gets the coveted bye week. Let's jump right into this big matchup in the Bay.
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Game Information
Matchup Information
- Location: Levi Stadium; Santa Clara, California
- Date: Saturday, January 3rd, 2026
- Kickoff: 6:00 PM EST
Quarterback Matchup
- Seattle Seahawks: Sam Darnold (14-3; 2024 – 254.1 YPG | 35 TD | 12 INT)
- San Francisco 49ers: Brock Purdy (6-9; 2024 – 257.6 YPG | 20 TD | 12 INT)
Betting Odds
Odds via Lucky Rebel, an industry leader in the sports betting world.
Analysis & Breakdown
Legion of Boom II
The Seahawks have been great this year. Sam Darnold's won 13 games in back to back years, Jaxson Smith-Njigba looks like the best receiver in football and this defense has been unstoppable. The Hawks rank 2nd in points allowed, 7th in opponent redzone efficiency, 1st in opponent third down conversion rate and 2nd in opponent yards per play.
They rank 6th in sacks, 5th in forced turnovers and top 10 in pressure rate. The entire Hawks defense has been great and it's a big reason we've seen them win games even when the offense has struggled. Sam Darnold became one of just six QBs in NFL history to record back to back 13-win seasons and he's looked elite while doing it.
Darnold's averaging 240.5 pass yards per game this year, completing 67.2% of his passes with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He's got a passer rating of 99.2 this year but he's really struggled against the NFC West. Darnold's played five games against their division, he's thrown just 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, with his passer rating dropping to 81.2.
The Hawks need Darnold to lock in this week and get ready for their biggest divisional matchup of the year.
Mr. Irrelevant
The 49ers have had so many injuries this year, it's amazing they've managed to play this well; let alone compete for top spot in the NFC. The Niners have 248 player games missed this year and have missed out on the 3rd most points due to injury. Brock Purdy missed a ton of time, Ricky Pearsall can't stay on the field and now George Kittle's banged up.
Defensively the 49ers have somehow had worse luck. The team's down two All-Pros in Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, both set to miss the rest of the year and any kind of playoff run the team goes on. Due to the lack of pass rush, we've seen this 49ers defense regress a ton.
San Francisco ranks dead last in sacks, 31st in QB hits and rank bottom five in pass rush. The team's 25th in opponent pass yards but 6th in opponent rush yards, they rank 24th in opponent yards per play and 22nd in forced turnovers. Despite all the lapses on the defensive side, the Niners are winning games and with Brock Purdy under center, you've always got a chance.
Purdy had his best game of the year last week, completing 72.7% of his passes for 303 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception and 2 rushing touchdowns. The team's scored 37 or more points in three straight weeks with Purdy under center and he's thrown 11 touchdowns in these three games.
Purdy threw the ball 35 times in their Week 1 game against the Hawks, completing 74.3 of his passes for 277 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. This week with so much on the line, I'm expecting a big game from Mr. Irrelevant
Saturday Night's Best Bets
Rashid Shaheed o26.5 Receiving Yards (-110) | Lucky Rebel
More time in the pocket directly leads to more time for routes to develop. More time for routes to develop means more deep shots and more looks for speedy wideouts like Rashid Shaheed. The Niners rank 24th in opponent yards per play and a big reason why is the lack of pass rush.
The Niners have given up a pass play of 30+ yards in 13 of 16 games this year and six of their last seven games. The team runs both zone coverage and single-hi coverages at top 10 rates and that's something we've Darnold thrive against. Darnold leads the league in fantasy points per drop back against Cover 3 and he's been even better when not under pressure.
Sam ranks top five in passer grade when kept clean, completing 74.4% of his passes for 15 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. This week with the conference on the line, I'm expecting Klint Kubiak to bring out all the stops and something tells me Shaheed's going to have a big day.
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