The San Francisco 49ers entered their critical Week 18 home game against the Seattle Seahawks knowing fully well they needed to be better on defense.
After all, in the wake of allowing 38 points to the Chicago Bears the week prior in a back-and-forth shootout, the Niners knew a stronger Hawks defense wouldn't allow the same sort of outcome.
Early on, it appeared as if San Francisco would have zero answers for Seattle's ground game, led by Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker, who rumbled all over coordinator Robert Saleh's defense. And it didn't take long for the Seahawks to take an early lead in a critical showdown that'd determine the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture.
After an opening drive that nearly ended in Hawks points (a failed fourth-down try in the red zone), head coach Mike Macdonald ended up getting seven points up on the board with a 27-yard touchdown run by Charbonnet:
Charbonnet gets on the board first in the Bay 💪
— ESPN (@espn) January 4, 2026
Seahawks take the early lead 😤 pic.twitter.com/lLaKaee7u6
Ugly.
It's clear the shorthanded 49ers defense is missing two of its best leaders, linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa, whose efforts against the run are sorely absent as they recover from season-ending injuries.
Following their first possession of the second quarter, Seattle already had a whopping 95 rush yards, split by 58 from Charbonnet and another 37 from Walker, all averaging an astounding 6.8 yards per attempt. And there were all kinds of poor contain from Saleh's front-seven defense, porous at best.
At one point, San Francisco had only one first down, whereas the Hawks had 10 and were dominating play on both sides of the ball.
Simply put, if the Niners hope to secure the top seed, they'll need to quickly figure out how to shore up what's been an abysmal run defense in just under two quarters.