The 49ers open the NFL playoffs hosting their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks, in the NFC Wild Card round
While the quarterback intrigue will be worth watching in the five weeks of the playoffs. But the key to the success of the red and gold remains the defense — which ended the regular season as the NFL’s best in both points allowed and yards allowed per game — and an efficient running game, led by midseason trade acquisition Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey’s strong football background helped make him a superstar locally at Stanford and with the Panthers. But since joining the 49ers, he’s been an efficient runner, averaging 4.7 yards per rush, and a scoring machine, averaging one touchdown per game . The way Kyle Shanahan uses McCaffrey as the feature of a star-studded skill position group with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Elijah Mitchell and others has been a sight to behold.
The weather doesn’t look great for Saturday, with heavy rain forecasted for the entire weekend and the potential for strong wind gusts. It could give Seattle a better chance at pulling off an upset that would truly sting the red and gold. But it also could set the scene for the exact time of defense-and-running game that the 49ers are so good at.
Follow along with our reporters Cam Inman, Jerry McDonald, Shayna Rubin, Evan Webeck and columnist Dieter Kurtenbach and other analysts providing their thoughts about the game.
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