When you face a team three times in one season-like the San Francisco 49ers did with the Seattle Seahawks-you get to know them pretty well. Open the season against them, close it out with them, and then meet again in the Divisional round?
That’s a full scouting report wrapped in real-time game reps. So if there’s any team that can pull meaningful takeaways from Seattle’s season, it’s San Francisco.
With the Super Bowl just days away, it’s worth asking: what lessons can the 49ers take from both the Seahawks and the New England Patriots? Whether it’s roster building, quarterback play, or how to win ugly in January, there’s plenty to unpack.
Let’s start under center.
On one hand, you’ve got a team that spent a top-three pick on a quarterback, hoping to mold a franchise cornerstone. On the other, you’ve got a team that handed out just $5.5 million in guaranteed money to a journeyman QB last offseason. Yet here we are, with both approaches finding ways to work-at least to a point.
Sam Darnold’s name still sparks debate, even in Super Bowl week. Some still question whether he can be trusted in big moments.
But that narrative doesn’t quite line up with the numbers. Darnold owns the seventh-highest passer rating of any quarterback in this year’s playoffs.
In fact, no quarterback has posted a higher playoff passer rating before reaching the Super Bowl since Patrick Mahomes in 2019. He’s made timely throws, avoided the catastrophic turnovers that once defined his early career, and leaned into the game manager role without shrinking from the moment.
Then there’s Drake Maye. He’s been a rollercoaster in the postseason, completing under 60% of his passes, yet still winning three playoff games.
That’s a rare feat-only two other quarterbacks have done it. Maye’s regular season was electric, and his ability to extend plays with his legs gives defenses headaches.
That mobility could be a serious problem for Seattle in the Super Bowl.
The broader takeaway here? You don’t necessarily need flawless quarterback play to reach the big game.
Maye had an MVP-caliber regular season, but New England’s soft schedule can’t be ignored. Meanwhile, Darnold finished the regular season 19th in pass attempts and still managed to throw the third-most interceptions in the league.
And yet, both quarterbacks are-or were-one win from hoisting the Lombardi.
New England’s run, in particular, has been something of a statistical anomaly. Maye threw for just 86 yards in the AFC Championship.
The Patriots averaged a paltry 3.2 yards per play and scored on only two of 13 drives. The week before, against Houston, they were 3-for-14 on third down, turned the ball over three times, and still walked away with a win.
Sometimes, the ball just bounces your way-or your opponent coughs it up five times.
That kind of luck isn’t something you can coach, but it does underscore the razor-thin margins in the NFL playoffs. The 49ers might not need to overhaul their identity, but they can certainly take note: sometimes, resilience and a little good fortune go a long way.
One area where both the Seahawks and Patriots found success was in generating explosive plays-something the 49ers have been striving for all season. Seattle, for example, didn’t just rely on grinding it out on the ground.
Against the Rams, they ripped off 42- and 51-yard receptions, plus a handful of other chunk plays. That kind of downfield threat can flip a game in an instant.
Surprisingly, New England found similar success against a tough Houston defense, even without a dominant wide receiver. That’s where the conversation shifts to personnel. The 49ers have explosive playmakers, but what they may still lack is a consistent “ball-winner”-the kind of receiver who can bail out a quarterback on third-and-long or tilt the field with a contested catch.
Maye made it work without one, using his legs and spreading the ball around. Darnold, on the other hand, leaned heavily on the best wideout in the league.
Two different paths, same result: a deep playoff run. But if you’re the 49ers, you might be thinking about how much easier life could be with one more game-breaking threat on the outside.
Then there’s the draft. Seattle’s recent success isn’t just about scheme or quarterback play-it’s about hitting on top draft picks.
That’s a big part of why they’re still playing. The 49ers have drafted well in spots, but if they’d faced the same quarterbacks New England did on their path to the Super Bowl, they might be preparing for Sunday, too.
At the end of the day, there’s no single blueprint for getting to the Super Bowl. Seattle and New England took very different roads, with different quarterbacks, different styles, and different levels of execution. But there are still lessons to be learned: build smart, adapt to your personnel, and when the playoffs come, sometimes all you need is a little luck-and a defense that can capitalize when opportunity knocks.
For the 49ers, the challenge now is to take those lessons and apply them. Because in a league where parity reigns and postseason margins are razor-thin, every edge matters.