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49ers host the Seahawks in the season finale with the division title and top NFC seed on the line

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49ers host the Seahawks in the season finale with the division title and top NFC seed on the line
Sport

Sport

49ers host the Seahawks in the season finale with the division title and top NFC seed on the line

2026-01-03 06:09 Last Updated At:06:20

Seattle (13-3) at San Francisco (12-4)

Saturday, 8 p.m. EST, ABC/ESPN.

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Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba celebrates during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba celebrates during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs against Chicago Bears safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, bottom, during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs against Chicago Bears safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, bottom, during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold passes against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold passes against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) passes against the Chicago Bears during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) passes against the Chicago Bears during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

BetMGM NFL Odds: Seahawks by 1.

Against the spread: Seahawks 11-5; 49ers 11-5.

Series record: Seahawks lead 31-24.

Last meeting: 49ers beat Seahawks 17-13 on Sept. 7, 2025, in Seattle

Last week: Seahawks beat the Panthers 27-10; 49ers beat the Bears 42-38.

Seahawks offense: overall (8th), rush (16th), pass (8th), scoring (2nd).

Seahawks defense: overall (6th), rush (3rd), pass (12th), scoring (2nd).

49ers offense: overall (7th), rush (22nd), pass (4th), scoring (8th).

49ers defense: overall (19th), rush (6th), pass (25th), scoring (13th).

Turnover differential: Seahawks minus-5; 49ers minus-5.

QB Sam Darnold was limited to 147 yards passing in a 27-10 win over Carolina last week, and will likely be asked to do much more through the air considering the Niners' stingy run defense. Darnold started the season strong, but has endured his share of challenges after tossing four interceptions in a 21-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 16. Including the Rams game, Darnold has thrown eight TDs and eight interceptions over his past seven games.

QB Brock Purdy has had back-to-back games with at least five TDs passing and rushing, becoming the seventh player to do that in NFL history. Purdy is 2-2 against Mike Macdonald defenses with six TD passes and seven INTs. He lost when Macdonald was defensive coordinator in Baltimore in 2023, split last season against Seattle and won the season opener against the Seahawks.

Seattle run defense against San Francisco running game. The Seahawks have been stout against the run all season, allowing a league-low 3.7 yards per carry and ranking third best at 94.4 yards allowed per game. After struggling to gain consistent yards on the ground early in the season, the 49ers have hit their stride since returning from the bye week. They are third in the NFL with 161 yards rushing per game the past three weeks.

Seahawks: T Charles Cross (hamstring) will miss his third straight game. His backup Josh Jones (ankle, knee) is questionable. ... WR Rashid Shaheed (concussion) will play. ... S Coby Bryant (knee) is doubtful.

49ers: T Trent Williams didn't practice all week injuring his hamstring on the first play from scrimmage last week and is listed as questionable. ... TE George Kittle said he plans to play after missing last week's game with an ankle injury. He is listed as questionable. ... DL Keion White (groin), WR Ricky Pearsall (knee) and cornerback Upton Stout (concussion) are all questionable.

The 49ers have won seven of the past eight meetings, including a playoff game in the 2022 season. ... Coach Kyle Shanahan lost eight of his first 10 meetings against Seattle before this current stretch for San Francisco. ... This is the second time in the past seven seasons the teams have met with the division title on the line in the season finale with San Francisco winning 26-21 at Seattle in 2019 after a goal-line stand.

The winner of this game earns the top seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. The loser will head on the road next week as a wild-card team. This is the fourth time since the start of seeding in 1975 that two teams played in the final week with the winner guaranteed the No. 1 seed. ... Seattle is seeking its first division title since 2020 while San Francisco could earn its fourth in the past seven seasons. ... The Seahawks have 13 wins for the first time since the 2013 season, which is when Seattle won the Super Bowl. The Seahawks have won 13 regular-season games three times in franchise history, including in the 2005 season in which Seattle lost the Super Bowl. Seattle went 10-7 last season and hasn’t had a losing season since 2021 under Pete Carroll. ... The Seahawks are 8-3 against NFC foes this season. ... Zach Charbonnet ran for 110 yards last week for Seattle. It was Charbonnet's first 100-yard rushing game since Dec. 8, 2024, against Arizona. ... Seahawks TE A.J. Barner has set single-season career highs in receptions (50), yards (505) and touchdowns (six). … Seattle WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL in receiving yards this season, has also had 100 or more catches in consecutive seasons. He has 113 catches in the 2025 season. … Ernest Jones IV has five interceptions this season for Seattle, tied for second most in the NFL. … Seahawks K Jason Myers needs six field goals made to pass David Akers (2011) for the most field goals made in a single season in NFL history with 45. ...The 49ers have converted 51% of third downs this season, the highest mark for any team since the Chiefs were at 52.2% in 2021. ... Seattle has the best third down defense in the NFL, allowing conversions on 32.4% of attempts. ... The 49ers have won six straight games and are seeking their longest winning streak in the regular season since winning the final 10 games in 2022. ... San Francisco is 5-0 in prime-time games this season. ... The 49ers have scored at least 42 points in back-to-back games for the third time ever and the first time since 1993. ... Christian McCaffrey has set a franchise record for running backs with 96 this season and needs four catches for the third season for a player with at least 100 catches and 2,000 yards from scrimmage. McCaffrey did it in 2019 and LaDainian Tomlinson in 2003. ... McCaffrey leads the NFL with 118 first downs rushing and receiving, the second most in any season in the past 15 years. .... San Francisco is last in the NFL with 18 sacks and tied for second worst with six INTs. ... The 49ers have scored TDs on 73.3% of red zone drives during their six-game winning streak. They were at 60% the first 10 games of the season. ... San Francisco is 10-1 this season when committing one or fewer turnovers in a game.

San Francisco WR Jauan Jennings has TD catches in five straight games as he has become one of Purdy's most trusted options. The previous Niners player with a TD catch in six straight games was Terrell Owens in 2000.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba celebrates during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba celebrates during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs against Chicago Bears safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, bottom, during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs against Chicago Bears safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, bottom, during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold passes against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold passes against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) passes against the Chicago Bears during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) passes against the Chicago Bears during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Tiger Woods expressed astonishment as he was handcuffed after crashing his SUV last week in Florida, according to body camera footage released Thursday that also shows deputies removing two pills from Woods' pocket.

Separate footage from the back of the patrol car shows the handcuffed golfer hiccuping, yawning and repeatedly appearing to nod off during the 15-minute ride.

Woods told authorities he was looking at his phone and changing the radio station when his speeding Land Rover clipped the back of a truck and rolled onto its side on a residential road on Jupiter Island. No one was injured in the March 27 afternoon crash.

“I looked down at my phone, and all of a sudden — boom,” Woods told an officer as he knelt on a lawn, prior to his arrest.

Bodycam footage shows Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy Tatiana Levenar then conducting a roadside sobriety test and telling Woods: “I do believe your normal faculties are impaired, and you’re under an unknown substance, so at this time you’re under arrest for DUI."

“I’m being arrested?” Woods responded.

“Yes sir,” Levenar said.

After handcuffing Woods, authorities searched his pockets and found two white pills.

“That’s a Norco,” Woods said after an officer pulled out the pills, referring to a painkiller that contains acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone. Authorities would later confirm that Woods was in possession of hydrocodone.

In the bodycam footage, Woods told Levenar that he had not drunk any alcohol and that he had taken “a few” medications earlier in the day, though Woods’ words are muted in the released video as he describes some of the drugs.

At the sheriff’s office complex, after Woods was escorted into the “DUI room” where drivers are tested for being under the influence, Woods said, “I’m not drunk. I’m on a prescription medication,” according to a supplemental sheriff’s office report released Thursday.

Woods, 50, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to suspicion of driving under the influence. He posted a statement Tuesday night saying that he was stepping away indefinitely “to seek treatment and focus on my health.”

During the field sobriety test, deputies noticed Woods limping and that he had a compression sock over his right knee. Woods explained he had undergone seven back surgeries and over 20 surgeries on his right leg, and that his ankle seizes up while walking.

Woods, who was hiccuping during questioning, continuously moved his head during one of the sobriety tests and deputies had to tell him several times to keep his head straight, an arrest report said.

“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods normal faculties were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle,” Levenar wrote.

Woods is the most influential figure in golf and has become as recognizable as any athlete in the world. The first person of Black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has captivated golf fans with records likely never to be broken.

But his injuries have kept him from accomplishing more, including those suffered in a 2021 Los Angeles car crash that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation. He has not played an official event since the 2024 British Open. He was recovering from a seventh back surgery in October and was trying to return at the Masters, where he is a five-time champion.

Following last week's crash, Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said. He was arrested and released on bail eight hours later.

Under a change to Florida law last year, refusing an officer’s request to take a breath, blood or urine test became a misdemeanor, even for a first offense.

—-

Associated Press writer Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods performs a field sobriety test for sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods performs a field sobriety test for sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., on Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Oteri)

Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., on Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Oteri)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods speaks with sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods speaks with sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, sheriff's deputies holds two pills from a search of golfer Tiger Woods' pants following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Department via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, sheriff's deputies holds two pills from a search of golfer Tiger Woods' pants following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Department via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods is taken into custody by sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods is taken into custody by sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods performs a field sobriety test for sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

In this image taken from police body camera video released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, golfer Tiger Woods performs a field sobriety test for sheriff's deputies following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

The Martin County Sheriff's Office welcome sign is displayed outside Friday, March 27, 2026 (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

The Martin County Sheriff's Office welcome sign is displayed outside Friday, March 27, 2026 (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

This handout photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Tiger Woods, in Stuart, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Tiger Woods, in Stuart, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Tiger Woods leaves the Martin County Sheriff's Office jail facility following his involvement in a car crash where he was arrested on a DUI charge on Friday, March 27, 2026 (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

Tiger Woods leaves the Martin County Sheriff's Office jail facility following his involvement in a car crash where he was arrested on a DUI charge on Friday, March 27, 2026 (AP Photo/Jim Rassol)

FILE- Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Oteri, File)

FILE- Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jason Oteri, File)

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