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What Mike Macdonald said about Seahawks' upcoming matchup vs. 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks will face the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald speaks in a press conference after defeating the Los Angeles Rams.
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald speaks in a press conference after defeating the Los Angeles Rams. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

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The Seattle Seahawks are facing a familiar opponent in the San Francisco 49ers for their divisional round matchup.

The Seahawks beat the Niners in Week 18 to clinch the NFC West title and the number one overall seed in the conference for the playoffs. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald spoke about what the team needs to do in order to beat the Niners once again.

“We did a great job taking care of the ball on offense; we attacked it on defense,” Macdonald said via The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar. “We’ve got to be able to do that back at Lumen.”

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson reacts against the Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson reacts against the Seattle Seahawks. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Seahawks hope to beat Niners again

It won't be easy to beat two teams twice in a row, but that is what the Seahawks have to do in order to advance to the NFC Championship. Macdonald will look to rely on what the Seahawks have done in the regular season to push through in the playoffs.

“I just have to remember to remind myself that we got to this point because of our process every day,” Macdonald said via Dugar. “Our mindset has really just been take away all the extra stuff (and) let’s focus on what we do, playing our style of football, and let the results take care of themselves.”

The Seahawks process began in Week 1 against the Niners and it came in a loss, but the team won 14 of their next 16 games to have the best record in the NFC. Now, they are a Super Bowl favorite for the NFC. They have to break the tie after the two teams split in the regular season.

In each of the team's three losses this season, they weren't as aggressive on the defensive end as they could have been. The Seahawks have one of the best defenses in the league led by defensive end Leonard Williams, so they have to find a way to continue dialing up the intensity.

If the Seahawks can put their foot on the gas and play like they did against the Niners when they allowed just a single field goal all game long, they should be on their way to hosting the NFC Championship.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold reacts after the game at Levi's Stadium
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold reacts after the game at Levi's Stadium. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.