49ers defensive star says they can't make excuses, makes one anyway

In just his second season as the head coach, Mike Macdonald already has the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. They got there in style, winning 41-6 against one of their primary NFC West rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco, who was one of the favorites in the NFC this season went into the game without one star player, George Kittle. They had others go down during the game, including Christian McCaffrey, who was in and out of the lineup with a shoulder issue. Of course, injuries happen in the NFL, which is why players don't typically use that as an excuse.

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That was what San Francisco defensive back Deommodore Lenoir said after the loss, claiming they can't make any excuses. He said this, however, after making an excuse, claiming it would have been a "landslide" in his team's favor if they were fully healthy.

"Landslide. To have them guys back, I mean, it's gonna be a totally different game. But I mean, we can't make no excuses. We had enough guys in here to get the job done. So I feel like it just ain't going our favor today," Lenoir said after the game.

Deommodore Lenoir said tonight’s game would have been a landslide if the 49ers were healthy:

“To have those guys, it would have been a totally different game. But I mean we can’t make no excuses. We had enough guys in here to get the job done.”pic.twitter.com/uHWf05953v
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) January 18, 2026

It's hard to say Lenoir is accurate in his claim given how lopsided this game was. The Seahawks simply outplayed the 49ers, with Kenneth Walker II exploding for 116 yards and three touchdowns. The Seattle ground game as a whole averaged more than five-yards per attempt.

San Francisco, however, struggled to find any consistency. That included quarterback Brock Purdy, who was just 15-of-27 for 140 yards with an interception and a lost fumble. The Seahawks' defense had a perfect plan, and executed it to perfection.

Seahawks full of confidence headed into title game

Seattle had concerns with injuries entering this game with Sam Darnold dealing with an oblique injury. That prevented him from throwing the ball for days, but that didn't appear to be an issue for him.

That, coupled with their stifling defense, gives the Seahawks plenty of confidence heading into the NFC Championship Game, which will happen at Lumen Field next weekend.

Seahawks full of confidence headed into title game

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