Jeff Saturday points to what 49ers must do to upset Seahawks

The 49ers had the upper hand when these teams met in Week 1, but a lockdown defensive performance in Week 18 completely flipped the script as Seattle held San Francisco to just nine first downs and 173 total yards in a 13-3 win.

If that was not enough, the Seahawks rushed for 180 yards with Walker going for 97 yards on 16 carries and Charbonnet rushing 17 times for 74 yards and a TD. Seattle is tied for the 10th-most rush yards per game (123.3 YPG), but with the second-best defense in points allowed (17.2 PPG) on the other side, that is more than enough against most teams.

San Francisco made key plays when it needed to and got a huge defensive effort from veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks in the wild-card win over Philadelphia. For a team that has dealt with key injuries all season long, that was exactly the type of performance it needed in a tough road environment.

However, that was still barely enough to knock off a shaky Eagles offense with quarterback Brock Purdy accounting for two interceptions and the run game combining for just 75 yards, which was not much better than the 53 rush yards in the Week 18 meeting with Seattle.

The Seahawks have only had their leading rusher go for at least 100 yards three times, but the balance between Walker and Charbonnet has been difficult for some teams to game plan for and has already reared its head against San Francisco.

Even if Darnold is not his best, as doubts about his ability in the playoffs creep up once again, he may not have to be if the Seahawks dominate defensively like they have all season and the run game is on point.

Kyle Shanahan has done a remarkable job keeping the 49ers afloat despite all the injuries, but if San Francisco does not find a way to limit Seattle on the ground, it may be a repeat of the Week 18 clash.