The NFL has plenty of rivalries with a rich, extensive history dating back to the start of the Super Bowl era. Bears-Packers, Steelers-Ravens and Jets-Patriots are some of the matchups that have thrilled fans for decades upon decades. In the 21st century alone, however, some new rivalries have come to the forefront.
The rivalry between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers falls under the latter umbrella, as the competition between the two NFC West teams kicked into a higher gear in the 2000s and 2010s.
Whether in the playoffs or regular season, the 49ers and Seahawks have had some heated games over the years. The genesis of their rivalry primarily connects back to a pair of college-turned-NFL coaches: Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll.
Here's a full breakdown of the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry, from the all-time record in the matchup to the best games between Seattle and San Francisco.
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49ers vs. Seahawks all-time record
When the 49ers and Seahawks meet in the divisional round of the 2026 NFL Playoffs, it will mark the 57th all-time game between the two opponents. To date, it's Seattle that has the upper-hand in the matchup.
The Seahawks own a 32-24 all-time record against the 49ers, a mark that dates back to the late 1970s. When it comes to the playoffs alone, however, the rivalry is split 1-1.
| 49ers | Games | Seahawks |
| 23 | Regular Season Wins | 31 |
| 0 | Ties | 0 |
| 1 | Playoff Wins | 1 |
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Why is 49ers vs. Seahawks a rivalry?
This isn’t a rivalry that can be considered deeply ingrained in the NFL’s roots. The 49ers were founded in 1946 and joined the NFL in 1949, but the Seahawks weren’t established until 1974, joining the league in 1976. Because Seattle played in the AFC West from 1977 to 2001, the Seahawks didn’t face the 49ers very often in the 20th century.
Come 2002, however, the Seahawks and 49ers became divisional opponents when Seattle returned to the NFC West, becoming the only team to switch conferences twice since the NFL-AFL merger. That realignment helped set up what became a top NFL rivalry by the 2010s. While the divisional aspect and geography of the matchup helped, other factors also contributed to the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry growing in popularity.
For one, the 49ers and Seahawks were both consistently among the NFL’s best teams in the 2010s. Seattle hired Pete Carroll in 2010 and had just two losing seasons (7-9) during the entire decade, while San Francisco hired Jim Harbaugh in 2011 and had five losing seasons in the decade. It was those Carroll-Harbaugh matchups from 2011 to 2014 that gave the rivalry a jolt.
Harbaugh and Carroll already had a rivalry as former college coaches — Harbaugh at Stanford and Carroll at USC. As two coaches unafraid to show their personalities, they brought that head-to-head history with them to the NFL.
With those two coaches at the forefront of elite NFC West teams, things were bound to get competitive. Both teams were annual Super Bowl contenders early in the 2010s, competing within the same division for top seeding. The matchups often mattered for playoff positioning, and in the 2013 NFC Championship Game, the 49ers and Seahawks met for a trip to the Super Bowl.
Add in some contrasting identities, from San Francisco’s old-school feel to the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” defense and aggressiveness, and it made sense why there was always some trash talk involved in 49ers vs. Seahawks.
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When was the first 49ers vs. Seahawks game?
The first-ever game between the 49ers and Seahawks was played on Sept. 26, 1976. That was just weeks into Seattle's season in the NFL, initially as a member of the NFC West before a transition to the AFC the following year.
The 49ers won that first matchup, 37-21, as San Francisco quarterback Jim Plunkett threw for 239 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. The starting quarterback for the Seahawks was Jim Zorn, who totaled 264 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the game, per Pro Football Reference.
49ers vs. Seahawks rivalry stats
The 49ers and Seahawks represent two of the best NFL teams all-time, as San Francisco's.547 win percentage ranks ninth all-time and Seattle's.525 mark is 12th.
Here's a breakdown of the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry by all-time marks for each franchise.
| 49ers | Stat | Seahawks |
| 642 | Wins | 416 |
| 531 | Losses | 376 |
| 16 | Ties | 1 |
| .547 | Win Percentage | .525 |
| 0 | NFL Champs. (1920-65) | 0 |
| 5 | Super Bowls (1966-present) | 1 |
| 8 | Super Bowl appearances | 3 |
| 40-25 | Playoff Record | 17-19 |
| 6 (2022-24) | Longest Rivalry Win Streak | 10 (2014-18) |
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Most memorable 49ers vs. Seahawks games
Here's a look at some of the most memorable wins for both the 49ers and Seahawks in the history of the rivalry.
49ers memorable wins against Seahawks
49ers 38, Seahawks 7 (Sept. 25, 1988)
While this game was long before the rivalry would pick up national interest, the 49ers' September 1988 victory over the Seahawks remains their largest margin of victory in the history of the matchup.
Bill Walsh's 49ers ran up the score on Chuck Knox's Seahawks; Joe Montana threw for 302 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, and Steve Young eventually came in for relief in the blowout win. Another Hall of Famer, Jerry Rice, totaled 163 receiving yards with three touchdowns.
49ers 33, Seahawks 17 (Sept. 11, 2011)
This was the first NFL meeting between Carroll and Harbaugh as head coaches, and it was all Harbaugh in this one. Opening the 2011 season, the 49ers led 16-0 at halftime, appearing on their way to a win.
It did come, but not easily. Doug Baldwin hauled in a 55-yard touchdown from Tarvaris Jackson that cut the deficit to just two points in the fourth quarter. But the 49ers' special teams unit — specifically Ted Ginn Jr. — put the team on its back.
Ginn had a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, then around one minute later, returned another punt for a touchdown, sealing the 49ers' win.
49ers 19, Seahawks 17 (Dec. 8, 2013)
Beating the Seahawks in the middle of their prime "Legion of Boom" era was no easy task. But in December 2013, the 49ers pulled it off, scraping by with a 19-17 win that marked just Seattle's second loss of the season.
The two teams would go on to meet in the NFC Championship Game following the 2013 season, arguably the most tense the rivalry has ever been. But in this game, San Francisco managed to hold on to its 16-14 halftime lead, which came as a result of a Colin Kaepernick pass to Vernon Davis as time was ticking down.
With 26 seconds remaining in the game, the 49ers got a game-winning field goal from Phil Dawson for the 19-17 victory.
49ers 26, Seahawks 23 (Dec. 16, 2018)
Entering this 2018 matchup, the Seahawks had won 10-straight games against the 49ers, the longest winning streak in the rivalry's history, as San Francisco had undergone a few years of rebuilding and struggles after Jim Harbaugh's departure following the 2014 season. Finally, in December 2018, the 49ers were back on top of the rivalry.
Kyle Shanahan was at the helm for San Francisco by this point. In the game, the Seahawks just kept crawling back to tie it; Russell Wilson had two touchdown passes to Doug Baldwin, while the game went to overtime after a Seahawks field goal to tie it at 23 in the fourth quarter.
In overtime, however, San Francisco pulled it out. Robbie Gould's field goal capped a win for Shanahan.
49ers 41, Seahawks 23 (Jan. 14, 2023)
Each team has won just one playoff game over the other, and the 49ers' victory came after the 2022 regular season.
It wasn't close, either. While the Seahawks had 17 second-quarter points to make it a close game, it was all 49ers at home in the second half. Brock Purdy threw for 332 yards and had four total touchdowns, and Deebo Samuel totaled 133 receiving yards with a score.
San Francisco advanced to the divisional round with a huge win, eventually losing in the NFC Championship Game.
348 total yards and 4 TDs in his playoff debut vs. Seattle.
— NFL (@NFL) January 14, 2026
What does Brock Purdy have in store for the Divisional Round? 👀
SFvsSEA– Saturday 8pm ET on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/yv0swozSbc
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Seahawks memorable wins against 49ers
Seahawks 35, 49ers 24 (Oct. 7, 1979)
This was the Seahawks' first-ever win over the 49ers, a few years after Seattle was added to the NFL. Because the team had been relegated to the AFC, it had been a few years since they last played San Francisco.
Jim Zorn, Dan Doornick and Sherman Smith all had rushing touchdowns for Seattle, as the Seahawks took advantage of a then-winless 49ers squad.
Seahawks 41, 49ers 3 (Dec. 11, 2005)
This is the largest margin of victory of any Seahawks-49ers game ever. Seattle came out and dominated a struggling 49ers team, improving to 11-2 on the 2005 season by hanging 41 points on San Francisco's defense.
Matt Hasselback threw four touchdown passes for Seattle — two of which went to Bobby Engram. Shaun Alexander also had a solid day on the ground, rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown, and the 49ers fell to 2-11 on the season.
Seahawks 29, 49ers 3 (Sept. 15, 2013)
If there's a game that best encapsulates the "Legion of Boom" defense across this rivalry, it's this one. Seattle's secondary was all over Colin Kaepernick, who threw three interceptions to Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman, three of the superstars of Pete Carroll's defense.
Russell Wilson had a touchdown pass, while Marshawn Lynch had a two-touchdown day on the ground. It wasn't a close game, but this matchup was a prime example of Seattle's defensive dominance in the 2010s.
Seahawks 23, 49ers 17 (Jan. 19, 2014)
In terms of consequences, there hasn't been a bigger 49ers-Seahawks game than this. The winner would advance to Super Bowl XLVIII — and Seattle's strong fourth quarter cemented that title game berth.
Arguably the most well-known Harbaugh vs. Carroll matchup was the 2014 NFC Championship Game at CenturyLink Field. The 49ers led 10-3 at halftime, but a Marshawn Lynch touchdown tied it in the third quarter. San Francisco reclaimed the advantage on a Kaepernick pass to Anquan Bolden, while Seattle notched a field goal to cut its deficit to 17-13.
In the fourth quarter, the Seahawks came through. Russell Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse with a 35-yard touchdown pass to take the lead, and after adding some insurance points, Seattle was onto the Super Bowl thanks to a late defensive stop.
After the 49ers had driven down the field, needing a touchdown to take the lead, Richard Sherman tipped Kaepernick's end-zone pass to seal the win. It's a play recognized by Seahawks fans as "The Tip," and the star cornerback then had one of the most viral postgame interviews ever.
"I'm the best corner in the game! When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you gon' get! Don't you ever talk about me!" Sherman said, claiming that Michael Crabtree had been talking trash to him.
"WHEN YOU TRY ME WITH A SORRY RECEIVER LIKE CRABTREE, THAT'S THE RESULT YOU GONNA GET!"
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) January 19, 2025
11 years ago today, Richard Sherman WENT OFF on Michael Crabtree during a postgame interview 😳 pic.twitter.com/AenSib4Zr4
Seahawks 27, 49ers 24 (Nov. 11, 2019)
This game was an overtime thriller on "Monday Night Football." The 49ers came storming back in the fourth quarter with a DeForest Bucker fumble-recovery touchdown, then a field goal at the buzzer of regulation from Chase McLaughlin to tie it at 24.
In overtime, Jason Myers connected on a 42-yard field goal to win it. Both teams were in NFC West contention at the time as well, with Seattle improving to 8-2 and San Francisco falling to 8-1, losing its first game of the season.
Seahawks 13, 49ers 3 (Jan. 3, 2026)
The NFC West was loaded in the 2025 regular season, with the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers all competing for the division title down to the final weeks of the season. But in Week 18, Seattle officially closed out a historic campaign by winning the division over San Francisco.
Brock Purdy couldn't get the 49ers' offense going at all against a loaded Seahawks defense, including one interception, while Sam Darnold didn't have to do much for the 13-3 win. One first-quarter rushing touchdown was all Seattle needed to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC — and coincidentally, the Seahawks' next game would also come against the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs.
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