The Seattle Seahawks clinched the division title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18. Seattle snapped San Francisco’s six-game winning streak with an impressive performance in the regular season finale. And the Seahawks’ ferocious defense led the way.
The 49ers were held to just three points and 173 yards on Sunday. Seattle’s strong showing helped the team finish with the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense and sixth-best overall defense in total yards allowed. However, a different stat better illustrates the Seahawks’ dominance.
Seattle boasted the best defensive DVOA since the 2018 Chicago Bears, per FTN Fantasy’s Aaron Schatz. The Seahawks’ -24.2% defensive DVOA is 12th-best since 1978. For reference, the famed 1985 Bears defense posted a -29.5% DVOA en route to a Super Bowl championship.
Seahawks ride dominant defense to NFC’s top seed
The Seahawks swarmed Brock Purdy in Sunday’s 13-3 win. The fourth-year quarterback was red-hot entering the matchup. But he went 19/27 for 127 scoreless yards and an interception in the divisional clash. Purdy was sacked three times and he absorbed eight QB hits against Seattle.
Three Seahawks defenders made the Pro Bowl this season. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon, defensive tackle Leonard Williams and linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence were selected to represent the team, with Witherspoon and Williams getting starting nods.
However, the entire unit contributed to the win over San Francisco. Nick Emmanwori led the team with seven total tackles. Jarran Reed, Uchenna Nwosu and Derick Hall added one sack each. And Drake Thomas came up with a crucial fourth-quarter interception in the red zone that deflated the 49ers.
The Seahawks earned a bye in the playoffs after clinching their first No. 1 seed since 2014. Seattle has had the top seed in the NFC three times before and the team made the Super Bowl all three seasons (2005, 2013 and 2014). The Seahawks hope to make it 4-4 with a defense built for a championship run.
