The San Francisco 49ers were silenced by the Seattle Seahawks' defense in Week 18. Two weeks later, the burning question was whether the lessons they took from that game would be enough to pull off an upset on the road.
The answer was a resounding, "no."
Despite questions about Sam Darnold's health, the Seahawks were even more dominant than they were two weeks ago, swarming the 49ers' offense and trampling Robert Saleh's defense on their way to a 41-6 win in front of a raucous Lumen Field crowd.
Here's a look at just how dominant the Seahawks' defense was on Saturday night.
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Seahawks defensive stats against 49ers
- First downs: 15
- Yards: 236
- Pass yards: 128
- Rush yards: 108
- Turnovers: 3
- Sacks: 2
- Fourth down: 3-for-3
The Seahawks shut down the 49ers for much of Saturday's game, holding Brock Purdy to 15-of-27 passing for 140 yards and a touchdown. San Francisco was 0-for-3 on fourth down and had three turnovers, with Jake Tonges, Kyle Juszczyk and Purdy all losing fumbles.
Demarcus Lawrence. Nick Emmanwori. The @Seahawks defense.
— NFL (@NFL) January 18, 2026
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While Purdy was only sacked twice, he had defenders swarming him all night long. The 49ers couldn't get into the end zone, settling for six points after being held to only three points in their regular season finale against the Seahawks.
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Seahawks defensive rankings
The Seahawks' defense rank in the top 10 in all major stat categories:
| Stat | Rank |
| Points | 1st |
| Total yards | 6th |
| Passing yards | 10th |
| Rushing yards | 3rd |
| Passing touchdowns | 7th |
| Rushing touchdowns | 2nd |
| Yards per pass attempt | 2nd |
| Yards per rush attempt | 1st |
| Turnovers | 6th |
Seattle allowed the fewest points of any team in the regular season and clamped down on rushing attacks in particular, finishing third in rushing yards allowed, second in rushing touchdowns allowed and first in yards per rush attempt.
The Seahawks ranked sixth in turnovers forced and sixth in total yards allowed. Combined with an improved running game, a nice season from Darnold and a dominant year from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, it was enough for 14 wins and now a trip to the NFC championship game.
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Best defenses in Seahawks history
Here's a look at the best defenses in Seahawks history and how 2025 compares.
Best Seahawks defenses by points
| Season | Points per game | NFL rank |
| 2013 | 14.4 | 1st |
| 2012 | 15.3 | 1st |
| 2014 | 15.9 | 1st |
| 2025 | 17.2 | 1st |
| 2015 | 17.3 | 1st |
The Seahawks have allowed the fewest points in the NFL five times, and four of those seasons came with the iconic "Legion of Boom" defense. The Seahawks allowed only 14.4 points per game during their championship season in 2013, and they also allowed fewer points in 2012 and 2014 than 2025.
Best Seahawks defenses by yards
| Season | Yards per game | NFL rank |
| 2014 | 267.1 | 1st |
| 2013 | 273.6 | 1st |
| 2015 | 291.8 | 2nd |
| 2012 | 306.2 | 4th |
| 2016 | 318.7 | 5th |
The Seahawks led the NFL with the fewest yards allowed twice, doing so in 2013 and 2014, and they ranked top-five in the league each year from 2012-16.
Seattle actually allowed only 285.9 yards per game in 2025, better than 2012, 2015 and 2016, but the unit only ranked sixth in the NFL, with the league's kickoff rule that allows teams to start closer to midfield likely a factor.