Terry Bradshaw stood alone on the FOX pregame set. After “putting in the work,” making calls, “studying film,” and even “doing a lot of praying,” the Hall of Fame quarterback confidently picked the San Francisco 49ers to upset the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. By the end of the night, that prediction looked wildly out of touch.
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Behind a monster performance from Kenneth Walker III and a suffocating defensive effort, the Seahawks dismantled their NFC West rivals 41-6 in a divisional-round demolition that was effectively over before either offense took a snap.
Any hope of a competitive contest vanished with the opening kickoff when All-Pro returner Rashid Shaheed exploded 95 yards for a touchdown. The Seattle crowd erupted, and the 49ers never recovered. From there, it became the Kenneth Walker show.
The Seahawks star running back piled up 145 total yards — 116 on the ground and 29 through the air — and found the end zone three times. His vision and power carved up a San Francisco defense already missing Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and George Kittle. By the end of the first quarter, Seattle held a 17-point lead. By halftime, it was 24-6, and the outcome felt inevitable.
Seattle’s defense, the best unit in the league this season, forced three turnovers and harassed Brock Purdy all night. The 49ers quarterback managed just 140 passing yards while coughing up two fumbles and an interception.
Christian McCaffrey, the engine of San Francisco’s offense, was held to 74 total yards and briefly left the game with a stinger. Without their usual rhythm, the 49ers failed to score a single touchdown for the second straight week.
Sam Darnold, nursing an oblique injury, barely needed to break a sweat. The Seahawks quarterback finished 12-of-17 for 124 yards and a touchdown before giving way to Drew Lock in garbage time.
For Seattle, the rout cements their status as NFC favorites. Under head coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks look built for a long run and will face the winner of Bears vs. Rams for a trip to the conference championship.
For the 49ers, the night served as a brutal reality check. A 12-5 season ended with a thud, exposing depth issues and the cost of injuries. As for Bradshaw’s bold pick? It’ll join the long list of playoff predictions best forgotten, all thanks largely to a running back named Kenneth Walker III.
