Seahawks all Studs, no Duds in 41-6 Divisional Spherical Blowout vs 49ers

[ad_1] The Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 within the divisional spherical of the playoffs to advance to the NFC Championship. This was an entire blowout which nobody predicted, and now, the Seahawks are one win away from the Tremendous Bowl. We’ll cowl all of the storylines through the week, however for tonight…

Listed below are your 6 Studs, and no Duds, for the divisional spherical!

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STUDS Rasheed Shaheed Rasheed Shaheed got here the closest to inflicting one other Beast Quake tonight, returning the opening kickoff for a 95-yard landing. This was the most important tone-setting play of the season. The 49ers confirmed tons of struggle within the Wild Card spherical to knock off the defending champs, and plenty of foresaw their momentum carrying into this sport, however Shaheed quieted all of it from the very starting. He simply went from an incredible weapon to a people hero in Seahawks lore.

Kenneth Walker III Kenneth Walker III did every part one might ask for from a workhorse again tonight. He went over 100 yards with 116, went for six.1 yards per carry, scored three touchdowns, ripped off large performs with explosiveness, and imposed his will on the San Francisco protection by decreasing his shoulder and being the hammer, not the nail. After a sluggish common season, he’s taking part in his greatest soccer of the 12 months when it issues most, and his lesser common season workload turns into a bonus. To prime all of it off, he gave credit score to his offensive line, saying “they made [him] look good” in his postgame press convention. As an impending free agent, “K9” made himself some huge cash with the final three large divisional video games being the perfect of the 12 months.

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Ernest Jones IV Ernest Jones IV has an uncanny playmaking potential that pairs so properly with being one of many smartest linebackers within the NFL, and it confirmed up as he brought about two turnovers tonight. Within the first quarter, he compelled a fumble on 49ers tight finish Jake Tonges which Julian Love recovered and helped lock within the large lead early. Then, he wrestled an interception away from a special tight finish to get the ball in San Francisco territory once more within the third quarter. His days of being underrated ended final week as he acquired his first All-Professional nod, and he picked up within the playoffs proper the place he left off.

Leonard Williams Leonard Williams may very well be on this checklist each week, however this one was exemplary of every part he does. He tied for the workforce lead in pressures with 5, grabbed a sack, and frequently took up gaps within the run sport to thwart San Francisco’s gameplan. Kyle Shanahan in all probability had one thing intelligent up his sleeve, however because of Williams wrecking it, we’ll by no means need to know. The Seahawks record-setting rush protection wouldn’t be doable with out a number of the most freakish athletes on the planet, and there’s not one other 6’5”, 300-pound individual that strikes like him. The “Huge Cat” is the anchor that holds the 2026 Seahawks in place forward of the pack.

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Devon Witherspoon Devon Witherspoon is the bridge between the Pete Carroll and Mike Macdonald eras. Regardless of being picked on the tail-end of Pete Carroll’s tenure, he suits Macdonald’s nickel-safety revolution completely. Him and Emmanwori are so quick that they'll play deep and nonetheless come as much as cease the run- but they'll additionally play ahead and shut distance within the backend, destroying passing wrinkles opposing offenses suppose they’ve created. He’s one of many few gamers PFF persistently loves, too, getting an 89.3 grade (which is by some means decrease than his 90.3 on the season). Witherspoon is old-school violent with new-school velocity, and makes this protection so a lot better in each second, particularly the most important ones.

Jalen Sundell If the Seahawks had a popping out celebration tonight, Jalen Sundell may’ve been the most important riser. He’s straightforward to miss as a middle, however he’s probably the most athletic within the NFL at his place. That permits Gray Zabel to have a world of confidence subsequent to him, past their A+ chemistry in-built championship profitable school groups at North Dakota State. Their duo goes past helmet scouting. It’s evident when Shaheed will get down the sideline on an end-around rush, and each of them are 20 yards downfield out in entrance. It’s additionally apparent when one takes on the soiled work on the line of scrimmage, and the opposite sprints out in entrance of Walker to tackle the final man to beat so he can waltz into the top zone. Sundell might have been a UDFA final 12 months, and missed a part of this 12 months, however he’s among the best gamers on this offense heading into the NFC Championship.

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DUDS NONE! Who deserved a dud tonight? You simply beat your archrivals by 35 factors in a playoff sport. When you've got any gripes to choose with a participant, tell us over @TheSeahawksWire on X.

HONORABLE MENTIONS Christian McCaffrey rushed for simply 35 yards on 11 carries, and STILL, the Seahawks haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 27 video games and counting. This run protection is impossibly constant… DeMarcus Lawrence has been a near-lock on the Studs checklist the final month, and will’ve been tonight.. He tied Williams with 5 pressures and a sack, which was probably the most picturesque strip-sack on Brock Purdy you’ll see all 12 months… The Seahawks move rush had Purdy working for his life all evening, together with 413 yards tracked within the backfield… Cooper Kupp caught each one in all his targets and was the textbook possession receiver tonight… Jake Bobo had one catch, however boy was it a ravishing launch off the road, which he used his lankiness to haul in on third down, nonetheless… Mike Macdonald’s playoff debut was a bang… and Sam Darnold appeared completely correct, regardless of his hampered indirect.

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Lastly, the 12s have been completely electrical via the TV broadcast. Preserve exemplifying the “12 as one” motto going into the Lumen Discipline finale subsequent week, and also you may simply assist deliver house a trophy.