Seahawks-49ers showdown features record hot teams playing for Super Bowl advantage

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The stakes will be high in Saturday night's game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. So will the momentum.
The Seahawks enter the showdown 13-3, and on a six-game winning streak. The Niners are 12-4, and have also won six in a row. How hot are the teams down the stretch?
It is the first regular-season finale in NFL history featuring both teams on six-game winning streaks. Seattle is 10-1 in its last 11, last losing on Nov. 16 by two points at the Los Angeles Rams. San Francisco, meanwhile, is 8-2 in its last 10 and also lost its last game to the Rams on Nov. 9.
MORE: Seahawks and 49ers facing injuries at key offensive position entering Week 18 showdown
So much on the line for teams playing such good football.
The game at Levi's Stadium will be a definitive fork in the road for two of the NFL's best teams. The winner will win the NFC West, be the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and get a Bye next weekend. The loser will start the postseason on the road as a Wild Card No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
The top seed is a huge advantage and if you need proof, just consider this: Since the NFL expanded the playoff field to 14 teams in 2020, here's what the seed breakdown has been for Super Bowl participants:
There's a reason both teams are considering it a playoff game. The loser isn't eliminated, but the paths to Super Bowl LX couldn't be more diverse.
Since the NFL went to an expanded playoff field in 2020, No. 1 seeds have made it to the Super Bowl 50 percent of the time while all other seeds have been a crapshoot.
No. 1 Seed
5 times
No. 2 Seed
1 time
MORE: NFL experts outline 'dream' ending to Seahawks' season
No. 3 Seed
1 time
No. 4 Seed
2 times
No. 5 Seed
1 time
No. 6 Seed
0 times
No. 7 Seed
0 times

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Richie Whitt has been a sports media fixture in Dallas-Fort Worth since graduating from UT-Arlington in 1986. His career is highlighted by successful stints in print (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), TV (NBC5) and radio (105.3 The Fan). During his almost 40-year tenure, he's blabbed and blogged on events ranging from Super Bowls to NBA Finals to World Series to Stanley Cups to Olympics to Wimbledons to World Cups. Whitt has been covering the NFL since 1989, and in 1993 authored The 'Boys Are Back, a book chronicling the Dallas Cowboys' run to Super Bowl XXVII.
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