Seahawks vs. 49ers: the rivalry, from “The Tip” to Nov. 29

In the Inland Northwest, the Seattle Seahawks are the home team. And the San Francisco 49ers are the other half of one of the NFL's fiercest modern rivalries.

The two teams meet again on Sunday, Nov. 29, in Santa Clara, Calif. San Francisco won the first game this season, and it leads the NFC West at 7-1. Seattle, the defending Super Bowl champion, is 5-4.

Where it started

The teams first met on Sept. 26, 1976, in the Kingdome, in the Seahawks' first NFL season. San Francisco won 37-21. Seattle then moved to the AFC, and the teams met only now and then until the Seahawks came back to the NFC West in 2002.

The Tip

The most celebrated defensive play in Seahawks history came on Jan. 19, 2014, in the NFC Championship Game in Seattle. With 30 seconds left and Seattle ahead 23-17, the 49ers drove to the Seahawks' 18-yard line. Colin Kaepernick threw to the end zone for Michael Crabtree. Cornerback Richard Sherman leaped and tipped the ball, and linebacker Malcolm Smith caught it for an interception.

Seattle went on to beat Denver 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII for the first championship in team history. Seattle then won 10 straight against San Francisco, from that title game until December 2018.

San Francisco answers

The 49ers turned it around. They beat Seattle 41-23 in a playoff game on Jan. 14, 2023, and won six straight in the series from 2022 to 2024.

Last season, the biggest swing yet

The 2025 season gave the rivalry three games. San Francisco won the opener 17-13 in Seattle. Seattle won the rematch 13-3 in Santa Clara on Jan. 3, which clinched the NFC West and the NFC's top seed. Two weeks later, on Jan. 17, Seattle crushed the 49ers 41-6 in the playoffs.

Then came the twist: Super Bowl LX was played at Levi's Stadium, the 49ers' home field. On Feb. 8, Seattle beat New England 29-13 there to win its second Super Bowl.

This year's first meeting

San Francisco got some payback on Oct. 11 in Seattle, winning 32-29. Seattle turned the ball over four times, and one of those fumbles was recovered by the 49ers in the end zone for a touchdown just before halftime. Jason Myers kicked five field goals for Seattle, and Sam Darnold's 16-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba put Seattle ahead in the third quarter. But Brock Purdy hit a touchdown pass and a two-point conversion early in the fourth, and a 44-yard field goal with two minutes left won it for San Francisco.

The numbers

Including that game, the teams have met 58 times. Seattle leads the series 33-25 and is 2-1 against San Francisco in the playoffs.

What's next

Both teams played and won today. Seattle beat Arizona 17-3; San Francisco beat Las Vegas 38-17. Seattle plays at Las Vegas next Sunday, while the 49ers play at Dallas and then host Minnesota before the rematch.

Kickoff on Nov. 29 is set for 1:25 p.m. Pacific at Levi's Stadium. A Seattle win would pull the Seahawks closer in the division race; a 49ers win would give San Francisco the season sweep.