49er

SANTA CLARA — Zach Charbonnet scored on a 27-yard run in the first quarter and Seattle shut down the high-powered San Francisco offense in a 13-3 victory over the 49ers on Saturday night that secured the No. 1 seed for the Seahawks in the NFC playoffs.

Seattle (14-3) won its first division title since 2020 and is two home wins away from returning to Levi’s Stadium for the Super Bowl next month after besting San Francisco (12-5) in just the fourth season-ending game ever where the winner was guaranteed the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

The loss sends the 49ers on the road for the wild-card round next weekend against an opponent that will be determined after Sunday’s games.

Coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive unit flummoxed a 49ers offense that had been the NFL’s most potent since Brock Purdy returned from an injury in Week 11.

The Seahawks didn’t allow a first down in the opening quarter, generated three sacks and made the biggest defensive play early in the fourth quarter when Drake Thomas got an interception at the Seattle three on a pass that went off the hands of Christian McCaffrey.

Sam Darnold did just enough for the Seahawks as he won a Week 18 showdown this season after falling flat a year ago for Minnesota against Detroit in a loss that cost the Vikings a chance at the No. 1 seed. Darnold went 20 of 26 for 198 yards and didn’t turn the ball over once as Seattle relied heavily on the running game.

Kenneth Walker III ran for 97 yards, Charbonnet had the long touchdown and the Seahawks finished with 180 yards on the ground, their second most in a game this season.

Purdy went 19 of 27 for 127 yards and the interception and McCaffrey was held to 23 yards in eight carries as the 49ers had their lowest-scoring game since losing 23-3 to Carolina in coach Kyle Shanahan’s debut in 2017.

The 173 yards gained by the 49ers were their fewest in any regular-season game under Shanahan.

The Seahawks controlled the first half, outgaining the 49ers by 127 yards and allowing only three first downs, but led only 10-3 at the break after two long drives ended with no punts.

Seattle got stopped on fourth and goal from the four on the on the opening drive but managed to force a three-and-out that set up a short field and Charbonnet’s touchdown run.

Jason Myers also missed a 47-yard field goal attempt. He went two of four on the night, missing from 26 yards late in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers got an early Christmas present Monday night courtesy of San Francisco, and they’re still hoping for more under the tree.

With the 49ers beating the Indianapolis Colts, 48-27, the Chargers secured a postseason wild-card berth. The AFC West title is still in play too, and even the top seed in the AFC.

The 11-4 Chargers are riding a four-game winning streak and have won seven of eight, including a 34-17 victory at Dallas on Sunday.

They play host to the 10-5 Houston Texans on Saturday, a team that knocked them out of the playoffs in the opening round last season and has won seven in a row.

Should the Chargers beat Houston — and if Denver beats the hobbled Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday — the division title will be decided when the Chargers play their regular-season finale at Denver.

Despite a 34-20 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday, the 12-3 Broncos remain the top-seeded team in the conference.

If New England wins out at the New York Jets and at home against Miami, and if the Broncos lose one of their two remaining games, the Patriots are the top seed.

The Chargers have a path to the top seed, but it’s a difficult one. They would need to win out — beating Houston and Denver — and have Jacksonville and New England both lose at least once. If the Chargers and Jaguars win out, Jacksonville would take the No. 1 seed because they beat the Chargers this season.

The Rams have lost four games this season, three resulting in part from special teams breakdowns.

In the aftermath of their defeat by the Seattle Seahawks, coach Sean McVay made a significant move.

Chase Blackburn, the Rams’ special teams coordinator for the last three seasons, has been fired, a team official said Saturday.

Assistant Ben Kotwica remains on the staff.

Earlier this month, Blackburn said, “The job of a special teams coach is to be able to adapt and overcome on all things.”

That proved a challenge for a team that features a high-powered offense, and an at-times dominating defense.

On Thursday night in Seattle, the Rams led by 16 points in the fourth quarter when they allowed Rashid Shaheed to return a punt 58 yards for a touchdown. The play sparked the Seahawks’ comeback that sent the Rams to a 38-37 overtime defeat.

The loss dropped the Rams’ record to 11-4, and knocked them out of the No. 1 seed in the NFC and first place in the NFC West.

The breakdown was the latest in a series of special teams issues that have plagued the Rams.

In September at Philadelphia, the Eagles blocked two field-goal attempts by Joshua Karty, returning the second for a winning touchdown on the final play of regulation.

Two weeks later, in a 26-23 overtime defeat by the San Francisco 49ers, Karty missed a long field-goal attempt and had an extra-point attempt blocked. Karty’s kickoff in overtime did not reach the landing zone, giving the 49ers the ball at the 40-yard line.

Before their Week 10 game against the 49ers, the Rams signed kicker Harrison Mevis to replace Karty and signed veteran snapper Jake McQuaide to replace Alex Ward.

The kicking game solidified. Mevis made all eight of his field-goal attempts, including three against the Seahawks, before he missed a 48-yard attempt with just over two minutes left in regulation.

The Rams, who clinched a playoff spot, play the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 29 in Atlanta and then conclude the regular season at home against the Arizona Cardinals.