NFL refuses biggest stage for Seahawks again for playoff game vs. 49ers

Whoever the wizard is pulling the scheduling strings behind the curtain at NFL headquarters these days certainly doesn't seem to care much about popularity. Yet again they're facing criticism for how these playoff games are being scheduled.

Case in point - at first glance it may appear that the 14-3 Seattle Seahawks, holders of the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed, are being slighted by being given the Saturday spot instead of Sunday which is widely viewed as the more attractive national television stage.

Yet the reality may be something quite different than it seems.

Seattle may have actually gained an even greater, albeit subtle advantage over the San Francisco 49ers in the process. By placing the Seahawks/49ers game on Saturday it gives Kyle Shanahan's 12-5 49ers one less day to recover and prepare after their bruising 23-19 win in Philadelphia over the Eagles.

And while that may not seem like much, the 49ers have been playing on short weeks for the better part of a month now. When they lost to the Seahawks 13-3 on January 4th it was their third game in 13 days. Now, they're having to turn around after a long flight back from the east coast and be ready to play again six days later.

There is precedent for this decision. This marks the fifth straight year that the No. 1 seeds have been given Saturday time slots during the divisional playoff weekend.

The 1 seeds have gotten the Saturday division round games for 5 straight years now. That’s often a perk of 1 seed, making sure an extra day before conference title game https://t.co/pxkSUPiAEe
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) January 12, 2026

While that does provide a potential advantage for the top seeds it makes for a tough task for any travelling opponent, and perhaps more so for the 49ers who just lost yet another key player to injury, with star tight end and noted Seahawk-killer George Kittle rupturing his achilles tendon in last night's 49ers win. It'll end Kittle's season, and his recovery is expected to extend well into next season.

This is what Shanahan was thinking about when he made his plea to the NFL on Sunday. Speaking at the podium after beating the Eagles, Shanahan foreshadowed his scheduling concern:

“Glad we’ve got another shot (against the Seahawks) … If the NFL is cool and understanding, they’ll make it Sunday.”
Kyle Shanahan, 49ers Head Coach

Well, apparently the NFL isn't "cool" and Shanahan isn't likely very happy today. The 49ers will have to face the Seahawks for a third time just five days from now when the two teams clash at Lumen Field on Saturday. The only thing left to determine is the kickoff time which will be set after tonight's final wild card game between Houston and Pittsburgh. Seattle and San Francisco will kickoff at either 1:30 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. PST.

Much to Kyle Shanahan's shagrin.

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