5 days ago
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The San Francisco 49ers didn’t just lose a game Saturday night; they also lost control of their postseason path.
A 13-3 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium slammed the door on the No. 1 seed in the NFC, forcing San Francisco to enter the playoffs without home-field advantage and likely as either the fifth or sixth seed.
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It was a jarring end to the regular season, especially for a team that had spent months positioning itself for January dominance.
Instead, the 49ers are leaning into a new motto: Do it the hard way.
The loss itself was ugly. While the defense technically held Seattle to just 13 points, the Seahawks moved the ball consistently and controlled the tempo.
On the other side, San Francisco’s offense never found a rhythm, struggling to sustain drives or generate momentum in a divisional matchup that carried significant stakes.
Frustration was evident, but so was perspective.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk summed up the locker room’s mindset in blunt fashion after the game, explaining why this scenario oddly fits the identity of this year’s team.
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“I like the mindset of, ‘Nothing has gone right for this team this year, so why would we have it any other way right now?’” Juszczyk said. “‘Let’s do it the hard way’ has been the theme of the season, so let’s just lean into that.”
It’s hard to argue with him. Injuries have defined San Francisco’s season from the start. Key contributors have gone down, and others, like Brandon Aiyuk, who never even saw the field. Consistency has been elusive, and the road has rarely been smooth.
In that context, a playoff run that requires traveling into hostile environments feels almost inevitable.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t soften the reality either.
“It is what it is,” Shanahan said when asked about heading into the playoffs without the top seed. “Now we’ve gotta do it the hard way. We’ll embrace the s*** out of doing it the hard way.”
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The comment wasn’t emotional or reactionary. It was matter-of-fact.
Shanahan wasn’t searching for silver linings or offering excuses. Instead, he acknowledged the situation and moved forward, exactly what this team will need to do.
One week, the 49ers were chasing January advantages. Next, they’re staring at a road-heavy postseason with no margin for error. But this franchise is no stranger to adversity, and this roster has been forged through it all season.
They wanted the easy road. They didn’t get it.
Now, the 49ers will see if doing it the hard way is exactly what they needed all along.
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