49ers fans showed Seahawks fans what loud is while clinching the NFC West
By John Buhler
San Francisco 49ers fans showed Seattle Seahawks fans what being loud is really all about.
The latest wrinkle in the San Francisco 49ers‘ rivalry with the Seattle Seahawks unfolded in a big way on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 15 with a bang.
San Francisco eked out a narrow victory on the road over the NFC West division rival, 21-13. This outcome was significant for two reasons. One, the 49ers improved to 10-4 on the year, meaning San Francisco clinched the division crown on Thursday night. The 49ers are guaranteed to have a top-four seed in the NFC. As for the other reason, 49ers fans showed up in droves at Lumen Field.
Seattle famously has the 12s as one of the most passionate fanbases in the NFL, but Niner Nation certainly made it feel like a quasi-home game with how well they traveled this week.
This game may have been vs. a division rival, but it was a road game on a Thursday night in the days leading up until Christmas.
Overall, this 49ers team is a resilient bunch, making this an incredibly easy group to cheer for.
San Francisco 49ers fans show Seattle Seahawks fans what loud is all about
Despite being in possession of the No. 3 seed in the NFC currently, no team has been hotter in football than the 49ers of late. Winners of their last seven games, San Francisco just might have what it takes to win the NFC and get to the Super Bowl. If they were to run the NFC gauntlet, San Francisco would be playing for its sixth Lombardi Trophy in the rival Arizona Cardinals’ stadium.
Although the NFC West is down massively this year, as illustrated by the horrendous seasons being played out by the Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams, Thursday night’s result in Seattle shows how far the gap is between No. 1 and No. 2 in the division. Seattle is not a great team by any means, but the Seahawks have been hovering around .500 all season long in a rebuilding year.
Overall, teams that have momentum on their side like the Niners do have the upper hand over others in the downtrodden NFC this season. San Francisco may not have what it takes to beat teams like the Buffalo Bills, the Cincinnati Bengals or the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but the 49ers are on a shortlist of teams who could realistically get there. They are humming, alright.
Going forward, it is all about playoff positioning for the 2022 NFC West division champion 49ers.