The NFC’s road to Super Bowl LX will run through Seattle after the Seahawks secured the conference’s number one seed with a 13–3 win over the San Francisco 49ers in a winner-take-all Week 18 matchup on Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium.

Seattle’s victory clinched the NFC West title and capped a 14–3 regular season, the best record in franchise history. With it came a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, positioning the Seahawks as the conference’s top seed for the fourth time. Ominously for their rivals, in each of their previous three appearances as the NFC’s #1 — in 2005, 2013 and 2014 — Seattle reached the Super Bowl.

The decisive factor was a dominant Seahawks defense that neutralised one of the league’s most productive offenses. After averaging more than 42 points per game over their previous three December contests, the 49ers were held to just three points, 173 total yards and nine first downs. Seattle forced four punts, two turnovers on downs and a crucial fourth-quarter interception that extinguished San Francisco’s best scoring threat.

That interception came midway through the final quarter with the 49ers driving, trailing 10–3. A pass intended for Christian McCaffrey was tipped and picked off, preventing San Francisco from potentially tying the game and allowing Seattle to run more than eight minutes off the clock on the ensuing possession.

Seattle complemented its defensive effort with another strong showing on the ground, rushing for 180 yards on 39 carries, led by Kenneth Walker’s 97 yards and 74 from Zach Charbonnet, which included a 27-yard touchdown. The rushing attack repeatedly converted in long-yardage situations, allowing Seattle to control possession and field position.

Quarterback Sam Darnold delivered a steady, turnover-free performance, completing 20 of 26 passes for 198 yards. While unspectacular statistically, his efficiency and ball security proved sufficient behind a defense that dictated the game.

For San Francisco, the loss ended hopes of a division crown and home playoff game, though the 49ers had already secured a postseason berth in Week 16. Their defense kept the contest close, limiting Seattle to 13 points and forcing a missed field goal in the fourth quarter, but lost opportunities — including a failed fumble recovery, a key third-and-long run allowed and the late red-zone interception — defined the night.

The 49ers now enter the playoffs as a Wild Card team and will open the postseason on the road, with their exact seeding to be finalised after the remaining NFC games, but likely to mean a trip to either Tampa Bay or Carolina. Seattle, meanwhile, head into the postseason knowing that any NFC team with Super Bowl ambitions will have to win in the Pacific Northwest to get there.