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Zach Charbonnet scored on a 27-yard run in the first quarter and Seattle shut down the high-powered San Francisco offense in a 13-3 victory over the 49ers on Saturday night that secured the No 1 seed for the Seahawks in the NFC playoffs.
Seattle (14-3) won their first division title since 2020 and are now two home wins away from returning to Levi’s Stadium for the Super Bowl next month after besting San Francisco (12-5) in just the fourth season-ending game ever where the winner was guaranteed the No 1 seed in the playoffs.
The loss sends the 49ers on the road for the wild-card round next weekend against an opponent that will be determined after Sunday’s games.
Coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive unit flummoxed a 49ers offense that had been the NFL’s most potent since Brock Purdy returned from an injury in Week 11.
The Seahawks didn’t allow a first down in the opening quarter, generated three sacks and made the biggest defensive play early in the fourth quarter when Drake Thomas got an interception at the Seattle 3 on a pass that went off the hands of Christian McCaffrey.
Sam Darnold did just enough for the Seahawks as he won a Week 18 showdown this season after falling flat a year ago for Minnesota against Detroit in a loss that cost the Vikings a chance at the No 1 seed. Darnold went 20 of 26 for 198 yards and didn’t turn the ball over once as Seattle relied heavily on the running game.
Kenneth Walker III ran for 97 yards, Charbonnet had the long TD and the Seahawks finished with 180 yards on the ground, their second most in a game this season.
Purdy went 19 of 27 for 127 yards and the interception and McCaffrey was held to 23 yards on eight carries as the 49ers had their lowest-scoring game since losing 23-3 to Carolina in coach Kyle Shanahan’s debut in 2017.
Carolina Panthers 14-16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Cade Otton, Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals and the Tampa Bay avoided elimination with a sloppy victory over the Carolina.
The Buccaneers (8-9) need New Orleans (6-10) to beat or tie Atlanta (7-9) on Sunday to clinch a fifth straight NFC South title.
If the Falcons win, the Panthers (8-9) will secure their first division championship since coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Cam Newton led them to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance 10 years ago.
The Buccaneers hold a two-team tiebreaker over the Panthers. But Carolina holds the three-team tiebreaker over Tampa Bay if Atlanta also finishes 8-9.
Before the Buccaneers faced New Orleans in October, Mayfield accused the Saints of dirty play and said: “I do not like them.”
Now, Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes hinge on the Saints beating the Falcons on the road on Sunday.
The Buccaneers were 0-8 in games where Mayfield threw an interception before overcoming his ninth pick in the last eight games.
After McLaughlin’s 38-yard field-goal try was blocked with just over five minutes remaining, Carolina got within 16-14 on Bryce Young’s 8-yard TD pass to Jalen Coker with 2:27 left.
