Just two seasons ago, the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry was considered the best and most competitive in the NFL.
That all but ended with the “mutual parting” of Jim Harbaugh in 2014. Since then, San Francisco has become one of the worst teams in the league, while Seattle has continued to be perennial Super Bowl contenders.
Still the 49ers could spice things up with an improbable win over the Seahawks on Sunday, which could knock the NFC West champs out of the No.2 Seed in the NFC playoff standings, and force them to play a Wild-Card game the next weekend.
It’s really the only thing San Francisco (2-13) has left to play for this season, and it would be nice to finish off 2016 on a positive note, in what would be Chip Kelly’s first winning streak as 49ers head coach.
Despite that, Kelly told the media he isn’t concerned with playing the spoiler role on Sunday.
“We don’t talk about that at all,” Kelly said. “We talk about playing a really good Seattle team. That’s motivation enough lining up across from Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor and Russell Wilson is motivation enough to get you ready. Just turn the tape on and you know how good a football team they are and that’ll get you, if you’re a competitor, that’ll get you excited. Whether you’re a spoiler or not a spoiler isn’t any conversation that we have.”
The 49ers have lost their last seven consecutive games against Seattle, a losing streak that began with their infamous 23-17 defeat in the NFC Championship Game, from which the franchise has yet to recover.
As pointed out by Nick Wagoner of ESPN, falling out of the No.2 seed could prove to have a significant impact on the Seahawks’ Super Bowl chances. According to ESPN Stats & Info, No. 2 seeds have made it to 13 Super Bowls since 1990, which is more than 3-6 seeds combined over that period.
Not only would Seattle have to play an extra game, they’d likely have to play twice on the road in the Divisional and Championship rounds. A No.2 seed would mean they would only have to travel to Dallas, were they to meet in the NFC Championship Game.
Even if the Seahawks win, they still need the Atlanta Falcons to lose at home to the Saints to clinch a first-round bye. A loss to the Niners, however, would knock them off their perch regardless.