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Seahawks bully 49ers, take NFC top seed. Saturday night winners, losers
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- Seahawks bully 49ers, take NFC top seed. Saturday night winners, losers
It's already a happy new year for the Seattle Seahawks .
The Seahawks secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC and won the NFC West title after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 on Saturday night.
Seattle's stingy defense controlled most of game as they contained a hot 49ers offense through four quarters.
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The Seahawks scored the game's first touchdown and held a 10-3 lead at halftime.
Seattle managed just a field goal in the fourth quarter, and that represented the only points of the second half.
The 49ers threatened to cut into Seattle's lead, but Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas intercepted a tipped Brock Purdy pass in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks offense took over possession of the football and proved able to preserve their advantage in what was a dominant performance by Seattle's defense.
The victory earned the Seattle the NFC West title and clinched them the No. 1 seed overall in the NFC playoffs.
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Here are the winners and losers from the battle out west:
Winners
Seahawks defense
The Seahawks held San Francisco to only three first downs and three points in the first half.
Seattle held San Francisco to just 105 total yards and five first downs entering the fourth quarter.
Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe ended what was a promising drive for the 49ers when he got his finger tips on a Brock Purdy pass intended for Christian McCaffrey . The wobbly football floated behind McCaffrey and was picked off by Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas at Seattle's 3-yard line with 10:27 left in the fourth quarter.
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The turnover helped Seattle maintain a 13-3 lead.
Seattle's defense held the 49ers to 173 total yards as they went 2-9 on third downs and only managed three points. The 49ers went scoreless in the second half.
Brock Purdy was sacked three times and intercepted once.
The Seahawks came into Week 18 with a top 10 total defense and ranked No. 2 in points allowed (18.1).
Jaxon Smith-Njigba , Kenneth Walker III
Smith-Njigba and Walker were the two best players on Seattle's offense.
Smith-Njigba entered Week 18 with an NFL-best 1,709 receiving yards this season. The Seahawks wide receiver produced a game-high six catches for 84 yards.
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Walker rushed 16 times for 97 yards in what was a productive night for the RB.
Seahawks, city of Seattle
The Seahawks will be a rested team come playoff time. Seattle clinched the NFC's top seed, a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
The road to Super Bowl 60 goes through Seattle in the NFC.
Alternate 49ers jerseys
The 49ers debuted their Nike X NFL Rivalry jerseys on Saturday night. It's a slick all-black look that features midnight black helmet with a red stripe down the middle and a gold-coated facemask.
Losers
Jason Myers
Myers missed a 47-yard field goal wide right in the second quarter and had a 26-yard field goal brick off the upright in the fourth quarter.
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The Seahawks kicker even had a kickoff go out of bounds.
It was an off night for Myers, who came into the contest having not missed a field goal since Week 11.
Seattle's defense was so dominant, though, Myers' off night didn't have much of an impact.
49ers run defense
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III had a 19-yard run on third-and-17 late in the third quarter to help Seattle maintain possession.
The Seahawks capped off the drive with a successful 31-yard field goal by Myers to extend their lead to 13-3 with 14:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers defense gave up 180 yards on the ground and one touchdown. The Seahawks averaged 4.6 yards per carry.
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49ers injuries
The 49ers have dealt with injuries to key players all season. The team's ability to overcome injuries to players such as linebacker Fred Warner, edge rusher Nick Bosa and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is a big reason why Kyle Shanahan is a coach of the year candidate.
On Saturday, star left tackle Trent Williams was inactive due to a hamstring injury and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was out because of knee and ankle injuries. San Francisco couldn't overcome its injuries against a good Seahawks club.
Linebacker Dee Winters injured his ankle in the first half, and Purdy took a beating late in Saturday's game.
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Los Angeles Rams
The Rams, last year's NFC West champion, had to watch what amounted to be the NFC West title game.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seahawks vs 49ers winners and losers, NFC West playoff implications
