For the second consecutive year, quarterback Sam Darnold will have a chance to secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a win in Week 18.
Sam Darnold Can Lead Seahawks to No. 1 Seed
Pretty good company for Sam Darnold 🤯 pic.twitter.com/KERxPENOpI
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 28, 2025
Darnold will have a chance to propel the Seahawks to the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed with a win over the San Francisco 49ers.
During the 2024 season, Darnold led the 14-2 Minnesota Vikings into Detroit to play the 14-2 Lions in a Week 18 winner-take-all showdown. The winner would be the champions of the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 seed.
Darnold arguably played his worst game of the season against the Lions, finishing 18 of 41 for 166 yards and a QBR of 14.3 in a 31-9 loss. The Vikings finished 0 of 3 on fourth down, with two of those chances coming inside Detroit’s five-yard line.
With the loss, the Vikings moved to the No. 5 seed and went on the road in the Wild Card round. The Vikings lost 27-9 to the Los Angeles Rams, which ended their magical season.
Darnold will try to make sure history does not repeat itself for the second consecutive year.
Darnold’s play in those last two games for the Vikings is one of the reasons why Minnesota decided to let him walk in free agency and sign with the Seattle Seahawks.
The acquisition of Darnold has been a home run for the Seahawks. Darnold has thrown for 3,850 yards (5th), 25 touchdowns (tied for 7th), and 14 interceptions with a career-high completion percentage of 67.2.
More importantly, those stats have led to winning, as Seattle sits atop the NFC with a 13-3 record following Sunday’s 27-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Darnold joins elite company after Sunday’s win. Per CBS Sports, Darnold is the fifth quarterback with consecutive 13-win seasons, joining Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre.
Week 18 Playoff Implications
For the No. 1 seed and the division.
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— x – Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 29, 2025
The NFC West and No. 1 seed will be decided in primetime on Saturday night. The Seahawks (13-3) travel to Santa Clara to play the 49ers (12-4) for the right to win the division, host a playoff game, and earn the first-round bye as the No. 1 seed.
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.
It’s a rematch of the first game of the season, which saw the 49ers pull off the last-minute 17-13 win over the Seahawks.
The winner of the game secures the No. 1 seed. The loser will fall to the No. 5 or No. 6 seed, depending on how the Los Angeles Rams (11-4) finish their season.
The Rams play the Falcons on Monday Night Football to close out Week 17 before hosting the Arizona Cardinals to close out the season in Week 18.
