The San Francisco 49ers don't necessarily need any extra motivation ahead of their highly anticipated divisional-round showdown against the Seattle Seahawks this Saturday.
Aside from the fact the two NFC West rivals don't like each other anyway, the Niners would love nothing more than to enact vengeance for what went down at Levi's Stadiuim in Week 18, a Hawks victory that ensured they'd receive both the top seed in the conference playoff picture and a first-round bye.
Beyond the in-division rivalry, San Francisco should be plenty motivated to keep the season going, if for no other reason than to keep alive hopes that All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner can return from a gruesome ankle injury that was once thought to be of the season-ending variety.
Warner has indicated he's "ready" to return, merely waiting on the 49ers' own medical staff to clear him. San Francisco subsequently opening his 21-day practice window is a good response.
But, one Seattle defender might have given Warner and the Niners a nice little boost of extra motivation, thanks to a comment on social media.
Seahawks' Uchenna Nwosu takes potshot at Fred Warner in social media comment
Warner has been actively sharing his recovery on his Instagram account, which has helped fuel speculation he might be able to return in time for the divisional round. Or the conference championship, should San Francisco advance beyond Seattle.
However, one Seahawks defensive standout, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, isn't praising Warner's rehab efforts, instead opting to rain on the All-Pro's proverbial parade (h/t NBC Sports Bay Area):
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu on Fred Warner’s latest post 🤨
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) January 13, 2026
[via @fred_warner IG] pic.twitter.com/bEVd3uor2T
"The road ends here brother," Nwosu commented on a recent Warner IG post.
Now, there's nothing to suggest the Hawks backer has any sort of malicious intent with his comment; simply a rival-influenced remark that'll only fuel the 49ers' bitter rivalry with Seattle.
Fuel it must, though, at least from the Niners' standpoint.
It still seems unlikely Warner returns for the game, and head coach Kyle Shanahan hasn't exactly displayed a spirit of optimism for the All-Pro's imminent return. Yet the window remains open, which is an amazing development under any circumstances.
To keep that window open, though, San Francisco will have to upend the Seahawks if it hopes to keep Warner's chances of returning alive.
Perhaps Nwosu inadvertantly just aided in that.