As impressive and unbelievable Seattle and Houston’s defense have been, no team has inspired and entertained fans as much as the San Francisco 49ers this season.
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Since the season began, Kyle Shanahan has been losing his starters to injuries every single week. From Fred Warner to losing Brock Purdy in the midseason, the 49ers have mostly played with their backups.
Yet with the resilience shown and HC Shanahan whipping up magic schemes every game, the niners managed to qualify and even beat defending champions Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round.
Safe to say, Brock Purdy & Co. are a unit full of fight and an attitude like this usually signals a deep postseason run. But not everyone is buying it. Especially against the Seattle Seahawks, NFC’s No.1 seed, who they will be facing away this Sunday.
On his latest show, Rich Eisen made it clear that while he expects chaos across Divisional Weekend, San Francisco is the one road team he’s not willing to back.
“I’m going to say once again, I think more than half the road teams are going to win Divisional Weekend too… Which means three. It means three of the four,” Eisen said.
Then came the pause and the exception. “I’m going to go everybody but the San Francisco 49ers. I’m sorry. Yeah… I’m sorry. That’s what I’ll say,” he asserted.
“I’m going to go everybody but the 49ers.”
Rich Eisen believes THREE out of the four road teams will win this weekend
(via @RichEisenShow) pic.twitter.com/R4XBQzg36P
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 15, 2026
While Eisen didn’t launch into a detailed teardown of why he expects Purdy’s team to lose like he did for the Patriots, the truth is, he just didn’t need to. The hesitation in his voice said enough because the writing has been on the wall for weeks for the 49ers.
In their Week 18 matchup vs. the Seattle Seahawks, Sam Darnold’s side overwhelmed the Niners’ O-line for fun. Consequentially, San Francisco was able to end the game with just three points, their lowest output of the season, and failed to reach the end zone even once.
Brock Purdy spent most of the night throwing underneath, unable to push the ball downfield as Seattle’s defense collapsed pockets and erased timing routes.
Even the run game, which is typically the 49ers’ release valve, was neutralized. Star RB Christian McCaffrey was held in check through the game and was repeatedly met at or near the line of scrimmage as Seattle’s front won first down snaps consistently.
With no rhythm established, Purdy struggled to string together drives, scoring only once and doing nothing in the fourth quarter.
To make things worse, Seattle also held the ball for nearly 38 minutes, dominating third downs and keeping Purdy on the sideline, just like his kicker Thomas Morstead was in November. No wonder the 49ers finished with under 250 total yards,
So, considering all this, it’s understandable where Eisen’s hesitation and prediction really comes from. Even the betting markets reflect that as Seattle has opened as touchdown favorites against Purdy & Co.
Hence for San Francisco to win this weekend, they’ll need yet another herculean effort as they have done all season. The question is, will the law of averages finally catch up?
