The San Francisco 49ers rivalry with the Seattle Seahawks is well documented.
Seattle has owned the all-time advantage in every decade since they joined the NFC West in 2002, until now. On Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers notched their fifth consecutive victory over their pacific northwest foes for the first time ever, 28-16.
This is significant considering the advantage Seattle has had over San Francisco in the rivalry. They’ve now met 50 times in the regular season, with Seattle ahead 29-21. The two playoff meetings are split, though the 49ers stinging loss in the 2013 NFC Championship overshadows the pleasure from their Divisional round win a season ago. The decade advantage also favors Seattle, taking the 2000s (10-6) and the 2010s (14-7).
With the win on Sunday, the 2020s officially swing to the 49ers (5-4). Each victory has been dominant, with an average victory margin of 15.2 points. There are more than 10 future meetings between now and the end of the decade. It’s difficult to see the results changing anytime soon.
The 49ers have a contract-friendly quarterback for two more seasons and a head coach under lock and key. Oh, not to mention an aligned front office that embodies stability with a track record of quality roster construction.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks chose their quarterback for the foreseeable future – who was unavailable due to injury – and a head coach into his 70s. It’s hard to guess how much longer Pete Carroll has before he ends his potentially Hall of Fame career.
Though Seattle’s roster is the 7th-youngest in the NFL and San Francisco’s is one of the oldest, the upside still swings in favor of the 49ers. On offense alone, the 49ers have six starters with 5 years or less of NFL experience. Defensively, five of the 11 starters on the field Sunday are 25 years or younger.
Under John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, it is apparent San Francisco finally have the upper hand in the rivalry with Seattle. Another important note from the 49ers victory was it marked the first-ever four-game losing streak for Carroll. The Seahawks head coach has mostly owned San Francisco, delivering postseason implicating blows throughout the years. In 2023, it’s the 49ers turn.
The win moves the 49ers into a position to threaten for the NFC’s top seed and maintains their position as Super Bowl favorite. The 49ers can officially clinch the NFC West with a win next week. Meanwhile, the Seahawks loss moves them below .500 and a full-game out of the final NFC playoff spot.
The 49ers were once constantly bullied by the birds from the northwest.
Now, the red and gold are officially the ones dictating the terms of engagement.
The script has been flipped in the rivalry.