49ers playoff picture: Ranking potential Wild Card opponents

49ers Wild Card opponent No. 1: Seattle Seahawks

There is one reason and one reason alone that the Seahawks, whom the 49ers are only likely to face if they sneak past the Vikings and get the NFC’s two seed, are No. 1 on this particular list.

As we saw in 2021, it is hard to beat a team three times in the same season, even a team the Niners whipped pretty soundly over the course of two separate weeks with technically three different quarterbacks, albeit only two who played significant time.

So while you can basically copy/paste the analysis of the Lions here (good offense no matter how you look at it, very bad defense), the fact of the matter is that if the Seahawks get a third chance to take on San Francisco this season, you can almost throw most of that out the window.

There would be the sneaking concern from 49ers’ fans that the team is pushing its luck like it was in facing the Rams a third time in last season’s NFC Championship game after beating them twice during the regular season, including in the season finale to clinch a playoff spot at SoFi Stadium.

Want your voice heard? Join the Niner Noise team!

Write for us!

Do I believe the Seahawks are the toughest matchup the Niners would face of these four opponents? Absolutely not. In fact, there’s a case to be made that none of these teams, bar the Washington defense, match up well against the 49ers with San Francisco playing as it has been over the last seven games.

And so, the X-factor comes into play and makes the Seahawks slightly more dangerous than any of the other teams. I would certainly still expect the Niners to win, but the “third time’s a charm” adage would sprinkle in just a little bit of concern.