NFL playoffs: Seahawks will host 49ers in NFC divisional round

SEATTLE – The Seahawks at least won’t have to do much studying to prepare for their first home playoff game in five years.

San Francisco’s 23-19 win in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles assured that the 49ers will come to Seattle to play the Seahawks in the divisional round on Saturday.

Kickoff time will be announced after Monday’s Texans-Steelers game, with 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. time slots available. Bills at Broncos will play in the other Saturday slot.

The playoff matchup will be a rematch of the final game of Seattle’s regular season, a 13-3 win over the 49ers in Santa Clara a week ago Saturday that clinched the NFC West and No. 1 seed in the conference for the Seahawks.

49ers receiver Jajaun Jennings said in an interview on the NFL Network shortly after the game that San Francisco is looking forward to a chance at quick redemption for that defeat.

“Let’s go!,” he said. “I can’t wait! That’s who we wanted.”

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan echoed that sentiment.

“I know we can play better than (Week 18),” he said. “Glad we’ve got another shot.”

The game will also serve as a rubber match between as the 49ers beat Seattle at Lumen Field 17-13 in the season opener for both teams.

The Seahawks were installed as seven-point favorites by BetOnline.ag.

In an interview with NBC during halftime of the New England-Los Angeles Chargers game, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said he as happy to finally have an opponent settled.

“Every six hours it feels like we’ve changed who we think we’re going to play,’’ said Macdonald, referencing that Seattle could have hosted any of the bottom four seeds entering the weekend. “So it’s just nice to know who we finally have.’’

Macdonald also noted the oddity of playing the 49ers in consecutive games.

“It’s a little funky going against a team two games in a row so we’ve got to do a great job debriefing and having some answers knowing that Kyle will have some stuff dialed up for us.’’

In a back-and-forth game against the Eagles that typified the first weekend of the NFL playoffs, the 49ers scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 4-yard pass from Brock Purdy to Christian McCaffrey with 2 minutes, 54 seconds left. That was the fourth lead change of the game.

The 49ers then stopped the Eagles on a fourth down at the San Francisco 21 with 40 seconds remaining.

SF’s win also means all three NFC West teams that qualified for the playoffs will play in the divisional round.

The Los Angeles Rams, who rallied to beat the Carolina Panthers 34-31 Saturday, will play at Chicago in the other divisional round game. The Bears rallied late to beat Green Bay 31-27.

The win did not come without a cost for the 49ers, who lost star tight end George Kittle to a reported Achilles injury in the first half.

Had the Eagles beaten the 49ers, then the Rams would have come to Seattle.

Instead, the Seahawks now face the possibility of having to beat their two most heated NFC West rivals in consecutive weeks to get to the Super Bowl if L.A. gets by the Bears.

It will be the eighth time the Seahawks will play a division rival in the playoffs. That includes each of Seattle’s last two playoff games – a 41-23 loss at San Francisco following the 2022 season and the loss to the Rams at Lumen Field following the 2020 season.

Only one time previously has Seattle played the same opponent in consecutive weeks, doing so against the Chargers in 1991 during the regular season with Seattle having a bye in between (the teams split, each winning on the road).

Macdonald, however, has done it before as defensive coordinator of the Ravens when Baltimore played at Cincinnati to end the regular season and then the following week in the playoffs. The Ravens lost both games, though they had rested some starters in the final regular-season game with a playoff spot secured.

It will be the third time the Seahawks have played the 49ers and the second at home. Seahawks fans may not need much reminding of the first – Seattle’s 23-17 win in the NFC Championship game following the 2014 season, after which the Seahawks beat Denver for the only Super Bowl title in franchise history.

The divisional game against the 49ers will be the first postseason game played at Lumen Field since Jan. 9, 2021, when the Seahawks lost to the Rams in a wild -card playoff game 30-20. That game was played without fans due to COVID-19.

The last postseason game played at Lumen Field in front of fans came on Jan. 7, 2017 , when the Seahawks beat the Detroit Lions 26-6 in a wild -card playoff game.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who has played in just two playoff games in 11 seasons in the NFL, both with the New York Giants in 2022, was already anticipating last week what the atmosphere will be next weekend.

“I’m so excited,” Williams said. “I love playing in Lumen Field. Even from the outside perspective it’s one of the best stadiums to play in. Being part of this organization and now actually playing in the stadium as a home team, it’s even more electric. You know, bringing the playoff games here is going to be incredible.”