Who are the Seattle Seahawks' current biggest rivals?

There is nothing like hatred between NFL teams. Some of the most passionate fans are always at war against fan bases or certain media. When it comes to players and coaches, there are a lot of times, nothing but respect and appreciation.

It wasn’t until late in the season that Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LeFleur and Chicago head coach Ben Johnson started becoming more hostile to each other. Johnson, who was previously the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, said he hates everything about the Packers. That was well known on Sunday night as Johnson barely gave a handshake at midfield after defeating Green Bay at home 31-27 in the Wild Card Round.

The Seattle Seahawks (14-3) are, once again, one of the top teams in the league and are chasing towards their second Super Bowl title. They will have to face one, maybe two, of their NFC West Divisional rivals in the NFC West through the playoffs.

The No. 1-seeded Seahawks will host the No. 6-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, while the No. 5-seeded Los Angeles Rams go on the road to take on the No. 2-seeded Bears.

Seattle wanted revenge after its 17-13 Week 1 home loss to San Francisco. 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenior was coming into the Week 18 rematch with some smack talk about wanting to shadow Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

It was JSN and the Seahawks that got the last laugh as he caught six receptions for 84 yards. Meanwhile, the Seahawks got revenge 13-3 win and clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the NFC West Divisional title.

Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba celebrates after a catch in the Week 18 win over the San Francisco 49ers. — Jan 3, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) reacts after a catch against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

JSN responded to Lenior’s comment after the win and said, "I definitely heard it. It's hard to respond back to all my fans, but I knew that we were gonna see him today and take care of business."

Now the Seahawks and the 49ers will meet for the third time this season, this time, in the Divisional Round. There is some respect between the two teams, but there is no appreciation between JSN and Lenior. That will likely be the case again on Saturday.

There is a legitimate argument that a heated rivalry between the Seahawks and 49ers is re-forming. Seattle has won two of the last three games after winning six consecutive games before. The 49ers also haven’t forgotten about the domination that the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom brought to the series. The Seahawks potentially knocking the injury-plagued 49ers out of the playoffs would set off more hate.

Seattle is also feeling some heat growing in its relationship with Los Angeles. The series is even after the last eight games. The Rams didn’t appreciate the 38-37 overtime loss in Week 16 in Seattle despite forcing three turnovers. It was after that loss, the Rams fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn.

The Seahawks’ growing spite might not reach the level of rivalry standards as the Rams vs. the 49ers, but with the Seahawks going, it's going to be a triangle of pettiness and disgust for the next couple of seasons. That is a win for everyone.

More Seahawks on SI stories