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The Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers will do battle once again this season on Wildcard Weekend at Levi's Stadium. There's no love lost between these two NFC West rivals. Both teams have faced off against each other twice this season, with the 49ers winning both times. The game may rest on the shoulders of their respective quarterbacks in this wildcard game.
Looking at Seattle, Geno Smith took over for Russell Wilson, whom the team traded to the Denver Broncos in the offseason. Smith is currently in his third season with the team and was seen as a stop-gap quarterback to start the season. However, the former New York Jets quarterback had a career resurgence with the Seahawks this season.
This season, Geno Smith has thrown for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He's thrown for the most yards in a single season in Seahawks franchise history. Smith also led the NFL in completion percentage at 69.8 percent. With Smith under center, the Seattle offense finished ninth in points per game at 23.9 points per game this season.
Shifting gears, Brock Purdy has been a game-changer for the 49ers' offense this season. Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant, the final pick in last year’s NFL Draft, out of Iowa State. There was no expectation of him seeing the field unless it was a blowout but that all changed in Week 14. Starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was injured in the first quarter versus the Miami Dolphins.
Garoppolo didn't return to the game, and Brock Purdy found himself under center for the rest of the regular season. Since then, he's started five games for the 49ers, throwing for 1,098 yards, 11 touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Now, Mr. Irrelevant will play in a relevant playoff game. However, it's not the first time these two teams have faced each other in the playoffs.
The Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers clashed in the NFC Championship Game in 2014
Back in the 2013 - 2014 season, the Seattle Seahawks faced the 49ers in the NFC Championship game in Seattle. San Francisco was up by a score of 10 - 3 at halftime and was 30 minutes away from playing in the Super Bowl. Yet, Seattle had other plans as they outscored the 49ers 20 - 7 in the second half to win by a 23 - 17 score.
Colin Kaepernick, the then-49ers quarterback, threw back-to-back interceptions in the fourth quarter to seal the game for Seattle. That season, they defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 48. This time around, we'll see if the San Francisco 49ers defeat the Seahawks this time around to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
