49ers vs Seahawks Game Thread

The NFL playoffs Wild Card Weekend opens today with the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Seattle Seahawks in the first game of a Saturday NFL doubleheader.

The 9-8 Seattle Seahawks squeaked into the 2023 NFL playoffs with help from the Detroit Lions, who beat the Green Bay Packers in the final game of the regular season. Without that win by the Lions the Seahawks would not be in the playoffs.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was on fire in the first half of this season, his first as a full time starter since his 2014 season with the New York Jets. Over the second half of the season Smith has cooled off a bit, playing more like a midling starting quarterback and less like the star he was in the first half. With Smith coming back down to earth the Seahawks cooled off after opening the season on a 6-3 run. The Seahawks closed the regular season losing five of their last eight games and looking little like a serious contender. We’ll see what the Seahawks have left in the tank today against a red hot San Francisco 49ers team.

The 13-4 San Francisco 49ers might just be the best team in the NFL. They are certainly the hottest team in the NFL. The 49ers have not lost a game since late October. Since then they have reeled off 10 straight victories, and most of the games have not been close. Rookie sensation Brock Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 NFL draft, has come on in relief of an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and lit it up, to the tune of a 107 passer rating and a 5-0 record as a starter. Now Purdy gets his first taste of NFL postseason action. It will be interesting to see how he holds up.

It’s the 49ers and the Seahawks to open the 2023 NFL playoffs. Use this thread to comment on the game.