With a date in the NFC Championship Game on the line, the temperature and stakes have been raised for Round 3 of the San Francisco 49ers–Seattle Seahawks game.
Yet, with the enhanced trash talk between the 49ers and Seahawks, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne reminded everyone that the NFL Divisional Round game Saturday will be decided by what the players do and not what was said in the leadup.
The Niners, of course, are coming off an emotional, 23-19 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in the wild-card round, despite losing tight end and emotional leader George Kittle to a torn Achilles tendon.
The 49ers and Seahawks split the regular-season meetings, with each winning in the other’s home park. They’ll settle the season series in Seattle at Lumen Field on Saturday at 5 p.m. PT.
Kendrick Bourne: The 49ers ‘Live For This’ Stage
The Seahawks, of course, dismantled the Niners offense in their 13-3 win in Week 18 that clinched the NFC top seed and homefield throughout the playoffs. That has led to some enhanced trash talk from Seattle’s side.
“We get the team we don’t like,” Seahawks defensive tackle Jarren Reed said Tuesday. “Personally, I don’t like anything about them. We don’t do too much talking. We know what’s at stake. They know what’s at stake.”
The talk naturally found its way down the coast, though Bourne said only came to the San Francisco offense’s attention from coach Kyle Shanahan and Leonard Hankenson, the team’s pass-game coordinator.
“None of us really saw it,” Bourne said. “We try to stir it up a little bit, but there’s no fear or nothing.
“We’ve got a team that wants this. This is what we live for. We created this opportunity. People doubting us, the world saying we shouldn’t even [have won] our last game, so this is what we live for. I love the antics. I’m all on it too.”
The Seahawks, of course, dismantled the 49ers in Week 18 by limiting them to just 173 yards of total offense in a 13-3 win. Bourne said there was a lot of talk on the field in that game.
“Last time they was talking a lot,” Bourne said. “We’re ready for this jump.”
Kendrick Bourne Killed The Seahawks With Kindness
The Seahawks will enter play Saturday riding a seven-game win streak. They have the top scoring offense in the NFL and a top-5 defense.
So instead of calling out the Seahawks, Bourne decided to say nice things about them Tuesday.
“They were a different team,” Bourne said. “They improved a lot. You can tell just as a team, even on their offense. They have good DBs. They just play well.”
But San Francisco has held Seattle to exactly 13 points in each of their first two meetings. Plus, the Niners already won once in the Pacific Northwest, 17-13 in Week 1, and Bourne is sure they can do it again if they enter with the proper mindset.
“I think it’s just going in there [with] confidence [and] energy,” Bourne told reporters Tuesday. “Who plays harder, Xs and Os all day, but who plays harder, who wants it more, who wants to go to the NFC Championship Game. That’s what it comes down to. It’s not rocket science.”
49ers WR Kendrick Bourne Sends Warning to Seahawks After Trash Talk Before Divisional Game