Matt Calkins: Seahawks' 'Dark Side' defense shines bright in filthy showing vs. 49ers

Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times on Jan 18, 2026

Published in Football

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SEATTLE — If not for the sold-out stadium and national broadcast, you would have thought that was a scout-team offense lining up against the starters.

If not for their results being logged for the whole world to see, you'd have thought the only way San Francisco made the playoffs was because of its defensive prowess.

But the 49ers (13-6) were not a prep squad helping the varsity fine-tune its game plan. They were a second-round playoff team who won seven straight contests in the second half of the season by averaging 35.4 points over that span.

It's just that, in Saturday's divisional round, they ran into a Seahawks team whose defense can make a juggernaut look like the JV. And though Seattle dominated in every phase of the game in its 41-6 victory — which propelled it to its first NFC Championship Game in 11 years — it was "The Dark Side" that shined brightest.

Yes, those three words in quotes are what Seahawks players have named their "D," which has emerged as the best in the NFL. Not only did they allow fewer points than any other team in the league this season, but in their last two games — both against the Niners — they haven't given up a touchdown.

First, there was the 13-3 triumph at Levi's Stadium two weeks ago that secured the Seahawks (15-3) the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Then, there was Saturday's 35-point thrashing that put Seattle one win away from the Super Bowl.

The offense and special teams played about as cleanly as anybody could have hoped for in that victory. The "D"? Just plain filthy.

Have you ever been part of a defense that was able to peak like this? Seahawks safety Julian Love was asked.

"No ... I have never been part of a unit like this," he said. "We're a great defense. We feel confident lining up against anybody."

Saturday, the Seahawks held the once mighty Niners to 236 total yards and 3.9 yards per play. For context, Cleveland ranked last in the NFL this season in yards per play at 4.3.

The Seahawks also had three takeaways. The first came on a first-quarter fumble forced by linebacker Ernest Jones IV and recovered by Love. The second came on a third-quarter interception by Jones. The third came on a fourth-quarter sack fumble forced by defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and recovered by defensive back Nick Emmanwori. And none of that includes the three turnovers on downs.

That blue-and-green bulwark Saturday is reflective of a defense that has allowed 16 points or fewer in six of its past seven games and 10 points or fewer in five of its past seven. The only hiccup — or more like a belch, really — was in last month's 38-37 overtime win vs. the Rams, who managed 581 yards against Seattle.

For the most part, though, this "D" has been impregnable, and maybe, just maybe, on the brink of rivaling those Legion of Boom squads.

"It's unreal the way those guys are playing right now," Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp said of his team's defense. "The camaraderie they have, the violence that they play with — it's fun to watch."

The Seahawks had been slipping on that side of the ball in the final three years under head coach Pete Carroll, as they finished 30th in the league in total defense in 2023. Seattle general manager John Schneider hoped replacing Carroll with defensive guru Mike Macdonald in 2024 would spark a resurgence, but few could have predicted an uptick such as this.

In two years, the Seahawks went from allowing 23.6 points per game to 17.2. Over their past seven games, all of which have been wins, they have given up just 11.6 points per game. And it's not because of a few boisterous future Hall of Famers dominating one portion of the field, but rather a symphonic collection of contributors dominating every portion of it.

“It’s commitment and dedication to our brotherhood and where we want to go," Lawrence said. I feel like we have a mix of young guys and older guys, and once you bring our talents and our efforts together, we have a complete puzzle.”

It isn't a puzzle many opponents have been able to solve. And the degree of difficulty seems to be increasing each week.

There's no bright side to look at after playing these Seahawks. Not with the "Dark Side" looming so.

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