Seahawks-49ers playoff keys: Sam Darnold’s side; Byron Murphy; SF’s redux vs run
How will his new injury affect Sam Darnold?
How much will the Seahawks’ top-ranked defense make the quarterback’s new oblique issue a secondary concern that won’t get in Seattle’s way of advancing to the NFC championship game next week?
Those have become the key questions in the final 48 hours up to the divisional-playoff game between the top-seeded Seahawks (14-3) and sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers (13-5) Saturday at Lumen Field (5 p.m., FOX television, channel 13 locally).
Darnold is questionable to play. The Pro Bowl quarterback who threw for over 4,000 yards this season with 25 touchdowns and an NFL-high 20 turnovers felt discomfort in his left oblique, his non-throwing side, throwing a pass in practice Thursday.
Coach Mike Macdonald on Friday echoed his QB from the day before in saying he is “really optimistic” Darnold will play.
But how will the injury affect him throwing the ball, his follow-through on passes, and taking hits and sacks?
No one — not Darnold, not his coach or the team’s medical staff — will know that exactly until it happens Saturday. The Seahawks’ coaches and training staff will have Darnold test the oblique throwing in pregame drills, but...
Macdonald was asked Friday if he expects Darnold to be limited at all by the injury, in throwing the ball or any of his other normal QB duties in the game.
“Well, yeah, that’s a possibility,” Macdonald said. “But I don’t think — I think right now, he’s confident that he’s going to be able to go do his thing 100%. We are, too.
“But these things, something could change between now and then or something could happen in-game. So we just kind of have to roll with it.
“I mean, I don’t think that we’d put him out there if he couldn’t do his job. He’s going to be able to go do his job (in order to play).”
Darnold injured his oblique on his left, non-throwing side during practice Thursday, throwing a pass without defenders. He said he felt discomfort in his side and immediately shut down practicing to get treatment for the rest of the day.
Veteran backup Drew Lock was the quarterback for the starting offense the rest of practice two days before the playoff opener.
The list of inactive players announced by each time 90 minutes before kickoff, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, will be the first indication whether Darnold, or Lock, is playing.
But it won’t be the last Darnold’s oblique issue comes up Saturday, playing (as all indications are he will) or not playing.
2nd key: Byron Murphy
George Kittle is out for San Francisco. The All-Pro tight end tore his Achilles tendon last weekend in the 49ers wild-card playoff win at Philadelphia. That makes Christian McCaffrey even more vital for the Niners — and for the Seahawks to stop. Again.
In the NFC West title game two weeks ago, Seahawks do-it-all rookie Nick Emmanwori tackled McCaffrey multiple times immediately after catches. The All-Pro rushing and receiving running back had six reception but for just 34 yards. That was his fewest yards receiving with that many catches and without a score in two seasons, since Christmas 2023 against Baltimore — whose defensive coordinator that night was...Macdonald.
Enter Byron Murphy.
On Jan. 3 the Seahawks’ dynamic, yet under-the-radar defensive tackle splitting double-teams allowed Ernest Jones, Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence to tackle McCaffrey at the line on running plays. McCaffrey’s 23 yards on eight carries was his lowest run-game production since December 2018, his second NFL season with Carolina.
With Kittle out, expect 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan to use McCaffrey in different formations, perhaps out wide, and more often in a varied passing scheme. And the Seahawks expect more than the eight carries McCaffrey got against them two weeks ago. Macdonald calls Murphy, Seattle’s first-round draft choice out of Texas in 2024, “the best in the world right now, especially at A-gap (between the guard and center) double-teams.”
If Murphy is again as brilliant, strong and quick in beating double-team blocks with his unique move of going to one knee and rising through like he’s doing a Turkish-kettle-bell get-up works as it did the last time against the 49ers, the Seahawks will be in the NFC championship game.
3rd key: 49ers vs Seattle’s run
Darnold’s injury could mean even more of a reliance on the running game than Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s had while calling runs on 50% of plays this regular season, when the Seahawks were among the NFL’s top-three run-heavy offenses.
Even if Darnold feels great, they will run.
Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnet and the Seahawks romped for a season-high 180 yards on the ground in Santa Clara Jan. 3. The 49ers played two-deep safety defense for the majority of snaps in the first half — when Seattle rushed for 115 yards, its most in an opening half in two seasons. Then San Francisco went to single-high safety looks, with a “heavier box” and second safety nearer the line of scrimmage to stop the run. Yet on Seattle’s biggest offensive play after halftime, Walker ran for 19 yards on third and 17 against two-deep defense.
Seahawks rookie guard Grey Zabel this week said he expects Niners defensive play caller Robert Saleh to run blitz more, mix fronts more, and give Seattle’s offense new looks to combat the run. If they don’t work a lot better than what the 49ers did the last time they played Seattle and got run over, it may be the same end result.
The pick
The Seahawks’ defense is elite enough to get the team to their first Super Bowl in 11 seasons. Darnold and the offense must do their part not to subvert that. That means not turning the ball over and handing points to the depleted 49ers, who again will find driving 70-plus yards for points on Seattle a monumental task.
Darnold takes care of the ball — and his aching side.
And the Seahawks advance to play the Rams in the NFC title game next week at Lumen Field.
Seahawks 17, 49ers 9
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 6:44 PM.
