Seattle's Rashid Shaheed Starts Game vs. Niners With Electric 97-Yard Kickoff Return TD

Fans at home had just flipped over from a wild Bills-Broncos overtime game to see the NFC divisional contest start with a bang.

Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed started the NFC divisional round game vs. the Niners with an electric kickoff return. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

NFL fans at home had just finished watching a thrilling Bills-Broncos overtime affair on CBS before flipping over to Fox for the NFC divisional round contest between the Seahawks and Niners.

Fans didn't even get to settle in before the scoring began, as Seattle wide receiver Rashid Shaheed took the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, in a scoring play that sent the Lumen Field home crowd into a frenzy.

RASHID SHAHEED RETURNS THE KICKOFF FOR SIX

OMG pic.twitter.com/cvM8rwdXk2

— The Sports Place (@offsportsplace) January 18, 2026

The game was set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET, but was delayed 20 minutes to accommodate the television rights of CBS, which had the Buffalo-Denver game in the middle of overtime. The Broncos ultimately cashed their ticket to the AFC championship with a 33-30 win.

If this game between the Seahawks and Niners is anywhere near as good as the first contest of the day, then NFL fans are in for a treat on divisional round Saturday.

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