Seattle Seahawks show why their fatal flaw may not matter

Heading into Week 17’s matchup against the Panthers, I was watching a debate about whether the Rams or the 49ers were the best team in the NFC. The top team in the division was left out of the debate entirely. The reasoning was a well-earned amount of trust in Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan’s offenses. What was understood but left mostly unsaid was a lack of trust in Sam Darnold.

Seattle Seahawks beat 49ers | Instant Reaction | Box score

You can’t blame someone for hesitating to bet the Seattle Seahawks will win it all. This year has been unpredictable and every team — including Seattle — has a fatal flaw. But you’re running out of reasons to count against them doing it.

Don’t trust Darnold? Yes, he’s got more turnovers than Purdy. But he didn’t throw a red-zone interception in this one. He doesn’t have Stafford’s top-level ability and experience, but he hasn’t lost two in a row to take his team out of the race for a bye, either. He’s not your 2025 MVP, but he’s been better than a game manager.

More importantly, that may not end up mattering at all. Darnold doesn’t need to be the best when the Seahawks defense is this relentless, nor when the run game is able to roll.

One of the best defensive units from wire to wire held a 49ers offense that was averaging 42 points per game over its last three to a single field goal. San Francisco managed 173 net yards Saturday (compared to its season average of 351, good for seventh in the league) and didn’t get inside the Seahawks’ 30-yard line until the fourth quarter. And a pass attempt deep in Seattle territory on that drive was picked off by linebacker Drake Thomas.

Red zone takeaway by Drake Thomas and the Seahawks!

SEAvsSF on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/eEOrqbxdpn

— NFL (@NFL) January 4, 2026

On the other side, Kenneth Walker III surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season and finished just three yards shy of 100 yards on the ground, which would’ve marked the third consecutive week of a 100-yard rusher for Seattle. Zach Charbonnet notched his 12th touchdown of the season. And now, four of Seattle’s top five days on the ground have come in or after Week 10.

There have been four RB rushes this season for first downs on 3rd-and-15 or longer

All by #seahawks

— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) January 4, 2026

And for their efforts there, the Seahawks earned the top spot in the NFC for the first time since 2014 and the NFC West crown for the first time since 2020.

Seattle Seahawks show why their fatal flaw may not matter

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