Overview
- Saturday night’s winner in Santa Clara takes the NFC West title and the conference’s top seed with a first‑round bye.
- ESPN analysis highlights San Francisco’s season‑long pass‑rush void after ACL tears to Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, with the 49ers ranking near the bottom in pressure metrics.
- Left tackle Trent Williams missed midweek practices with a hamstring issue, raising fresh uncertainty for Brock Purdy against Seattle’s high-pressure front.
- Seattle’s staff pinpointed turnovers as the fix heading into Week 18, with Klint Kubiak urging reduction after 28 team giveaways and 20 attributed to Sam Darnold.
- The broader Week 18 picture features the Bears able to clinch the NFC No. 2 seed with a win as WR Luther Burden returned limited to practice, while the Packers are locked into No. 7 and Matt LaFleur named Clayton Tune the starter as Green Bay prioritizes health.