Kenneth Walker III leads Seahawks studs & duds from statement win over 49ers

So much for the oblique story. The Seattle Seahawks have destroyed the San Franisco 49ers in convincing fashion, dominating their division rivals by a score of 41-6. The win advances the Seahawks to the NFC Championship round, where they'll face the winner of tomorrow's matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears.

Despite what turned out to be a brief but completely unfonded panic over Sam Darnold's injury pregame, tonight's victory was never in doubt. Seattle took control of the game on the opening kickoff and never looked remotely in danger at any point after.

Here are your divisional round studs and duds for the Seahawks.

Stud: WR/KR Rashid Shaheed

As he's done several times before this season, Rashid Shaheed gave the Seahawks an enormous fuel boost on the first play of the game. Shaheed's 95-yard return touchdown set a new franchise record for a playoff game and set the tone for a dominant win. Later, Shaheed made another splash play on offense with a 30-yard rush. He finished with 153 all-purpose yards and a TD.

Stud: RB Kenneth Walker III

Shaheed made for a hell of an opening act. However, the headliner turned out to be starting running back Ken Walker, who put in another extremely impressive performance against a tough San Francisco defense. Walker made several explosive plays as a rusher and receiver, racking up 144 total yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.

Stud: WR Cooper Kupp

All season Cooper Kupp has been a bit quiet for a No. 2 receiver role. With Shaheed still getting fully integrated into the offense and JSN getting blanketed most of the night, Seattle needed someone to step up. They got a big boost from Cooper Kupp in the first half, totaling 34 yards on three catches, normally his output for an entire game. Kupp caught a 21-yard laser from Darnold in the third and finished with five receptions for a team-high 60 yards.

Dud: OL Jalen Sundell, Anthony Bradford

The Seahawks offensive line looks vastly, impossibly improved compared to just a couple of seasons ago. There are still rough moments now and then, though. Most of those plays seem to involve right guard Anthony Bradford and center Jalen Sundell, who should be prime targets for upgrades this offseason.

Stud: QB Sam Darnold

Ginger Cuz didn't have too do a whole lot for the Seahawks, tonight. Whether he could have thrived or even survived a pass-heavy game plan we'll never know, because this one was all about the ground attack. For his minor part Darnold did well, playing a clean game and finishing 12/17 for 124 yards, one touchdown and a 110.9 passer rating.

Stud: DT Leonard Williams

The famous Legion of Boom defenses famously were characterized as a bunch of alpha dogs, with Kam Chancellor playing the role of the lone lion. If there is a lion for this Dark Side defense, it's Leonard Williams - who has consistently played at a higher level than anyone on the team since his arrival. Williams may have only totaled two tackles, but he harrassed Purdy a lot, posting two QB hits and one of Seattle's two sacks.

Stud: LB Ernest Jones IV

The Seahawks got a huge takeaway in the first quarter from middle linebacker Ernest Jones, who stripped the ball out and was recovered by safety Julian Love. In the second half, Jones came through with another huge turnover, picking off a pass by Brock Purdy. Along the way, Jones made several more stops, putting up six total tackles.

Stud: OLB DeMarcus Lawrence

No defender made more regular "stud" appearances in the second half of the season than D-Law, who's continued balling into the playoffs. Lawrence absolutely blew up a couple of plays early on, and ended up with one pass breakup, two tackles for a loss and three quarterback hits.

Stud: CB Devon Witherspoon

As usual, it's difficult picking out stars on this side of the ball because so many of them are playing so well. One guy who consistently manages to standout is third-year corner Devon Witherspoon, who posted a pass breakup and a team-high seven tackles, making his presence felt on every one of them.