'Unfortunately, We're Playing the Niners!' Seahawks Playoff Preview vs. 'Loaded' Rival
Pete Carroll has a very firm grasp on what his team has just accomplished ... and on what his team is about to face.
In the Wild Card round, the Seattle Seahawks look to survive and advance against the hot NFC West Division rival the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle looks to build on two straight wins and halt the Niners' 10-game winning streak from Levi's Stadium on Saturday.
Seahawks coach Carroll has every reason to celebrate what his team has done so far. But ...
"Unfortunately,'' he said, "we're playing the Niners.''
The Seahawks finished over .500 in a surprise season with much thanks to an impressive season from quarterback Geno Smith. Smith is fresh off a solid outing in Seattle's thrilling 19-16 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams: Smith passed Russell Wilson to become the franchise's single-season passing leader.
Seattle lost twice this season to the Niners, a team Carroll labeled as "loaded'' - 27-7 in Week 2 and 21-13 in Week 15. However, recent improvements running the ball and defending the run present reasons for optimism for the underdog Seahawks.
The Niners are led by rookie quarterback Brock Purdy in his playoff debut. Purdy, who was the final pick of the 2022 draft, made his first start in Seattle and has gone 6-0 since. Seattle's defense is faced with the tough task vs. weapons Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle.
FUN FACT: Seattle has made the postseason in 10 of Pete Carroll’s 13 years as head coach.
RECORDS: Seattle Seahawks (9-8) vs. San Francisco 49ers (13-4)
ODDS: Seattle is a 10-point underdog vs. the Niners
GAME TIME: Saturday, January 14, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. PT
LOCATION: Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, CA)
TV/RADIO: FOX, Seattle Sports 710AM • KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
THE FINAL WORD: Coach Carroll of how 9-8 Seattle has developed as a team, as massive underdogs vs. the Niners:
"Yet here we are now, and we're ready to go. We're going to be tough to play against right now. Our guys are going to be ready to go."
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