The Seattle Seahawks will begin their playoff run against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. Ahead of this win-or-go-home contest with the NFC West rival, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons sent a message to the Seahawks regarding their Super Bowl chances.
Simmons noted that, with playoff teams in both the AFC and the NFC, the Seahawks are the clear favorites. As a result, it would be a disappointment if Seattle were to fall short of winning the Super Bowl this season.
“If I’m Seattle and I’m their fans, this is it, man,” Simmons said in a video posted by The Ringer on Jan. 16. “This is now lined up to win the Super Bowl… They have the best unit of any [playoff team]. I sound like I’m a Seahawks fan. I just feel like this is laid out for them. They could easily fuck it up. But if I’m a Seahawks fan, ‘I’m like, holy shit, we might be able to win the Super Bowl for real.’
“Our defense could just dominate the Niners this round. We go to the next round, we get the Rams at home, fine. And then we’re going to play Bo Nix in the Super Bowl, or this Pats team that has the youngest team in the league, or Josh Allen with no receivers. I like my chances against anybody.”
Seahawks Get Blunt Words Over 49ers
Former Seahawks star Richard Sherman offered his old team a bit of advice ahead of facing the 49ers, who came from behind to beat the Philadelphia Eagles on the road despite losing George Kittle to an Achilles tendon injury.
“If they’re not able to run the football as well as they did in the first half, Sam Darnold is going to have to push the ball down the field,” Sherman said in a Jan. 15 video from “The Richard Sherman Podcast.”
“[Jaxon Smith-Njigba] has been magnificent down the field. But for some reason, I think they’re going to have to take more shots in this game. Again, when you feel like you have that safety blanket of a great defense, it allows you more freedom.
“I believe Sam Darnold is going to feel, is that, ‘Hey, I can be a little bit more aggressive with the football in this game,’ and know that, ‘Hey, we got one of the best defenses in the National Football League backing me up.’ Outside of a few drives in that game, this San Francisco 49ers offense didn’t show that they could figure this defense out.”
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold Might Need to Step Up
Moreover, if the Seahawks and 49ers find themselves in a tight contest, Sherman believes it will be on Sam Darnold to be the difference-maker. In the Week 18 game, Darnold did make timely passes against the Niners, but with so much on the line in this game, he might need to do more.
“If somehow the San Francisco 49ers get ahead in this game, I think the pressure builds, and the level is through the roof really quickly. I think this could be a big-time moment for Sam Darnold to show who he is, to be the big-time quarterback that this franchise believes he can be. It’s going to be a really fun game.”
Bill Simmons Delivers Seahawks Blunt Super Bowl Message