Sam Darnold quiets injury concerns with TD pass and Seahawks are routing 49ers

From the opening kickoff - literally - the Seattle Seahawks have been all over the San Francisco 49ers in their Divisional Round playoff game at frenzied Lumen Field.

Rashid Shaheed took the kickoff and sprinted 95 yards for a touchdown. The defense stopped the Niners on a 4th-and-1, then on the next possession forced a turnover when Ernest Jones stripped tight end Jake Tonges and the fumble was recovered by Jordan Love.

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After a touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the rout is on and the 12s are loving every second of it.

JSN is that guy, pal.

SFvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
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— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2026

Darnold came into the game with an oblique injury, but his teammates have done the heavy lifting in building a 17-0 lead. In fact, the quarterback had only five completions as Seattle scored its first 17 points.

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After Love's fumble recovery, Darnold may have already put the nail in the Niners' coffin. He bought time in the pocket and waited for JSN. The receiver started on the right side, beat San Francisco cornerback Darrell Luter all the way across the field and hauled in Darnold's 4-yard touchdown pass by deftly getting his knee down in the back left corner of the end zone.

It's been a dream season for JSN. And this is a dream start for the Seahawks.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

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