Pete Carroll was ecstatic to learn that his Seattle Seahawks secured a playoff spot after the Detroit Lions pulled off the 20-16 Week 18 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
That is until he came to a significant realization.
The win meant the No. 7 seed and a meeting with the red-hot 49ers, who will host the Seahawks on Saturday in the NFC wild-card game at Levi’s Stadium. It will be the third meeting this season between the division rivals.
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“Love the Lions,” Carroll told reporters Tuesday. “Coach [Dan] Campbell did a great job with his crew and they played a fantastic football game to get the win to give us a chance, so we’re going to try to do something with it.
“Unfortunately, we’re playing the Niners. And they’re loaded and healthy and on a roll, and about as hot as you can possibly get.”
The 49ers are rolling into the postseason on a 10-game win streak after their 38-13 beatdown of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in their regular-season finale.
Carroll’s impressed with more than just the win streak, though.
San Francisco 49ers
“And [they’re] doing it in a really commanding fashion too with a young quarterback who’s doing so well,” he added. “So we’ll see how we get our guys back for this weekend, it’s coming up quick with a Saturday ball game. We’ve already started our week and we’re underway.”
Of course, the 49ers and their fans might not be fully convinced by Carroll's comments, as they could be part of his ploy to throw off coach Kyle Shanahan and the Niners. But both coaches are known to be schematic masterminds of their own, and likely will be prepared for whatever is thrown their way.
Plus, the two teams are all too familiar with each other. Shanahan said Tuesday that he doesn't think the two previous games this season will have any effect on what happens Saturday.
“I don’t really look at it as you have beat someone three times,” Shanahan said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday. “I just look at it as we got to beat them on Saturday. I don’t think the other games have anything to do with it. It all comes down to this.”
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The 49ers won both matchups earlier this season, the first was a 27-7 Week 2 victory at home, and the second was a 21-13 win in Seattle to clinch the NFC West title on Dec. 15.
“The teams know each other pretty well,” Shanahan said. “You don’t get to surprise teams that much in situations like this, but that’s how it’s been with us and Seattle for a number of years.
“Usually every time we play, it comes down to the wire, usually the last possession, and that’s what we’re working and getting ready to fight for.”
Shanahan and the 49ers will do everything in their power to prevent what happened in their last postseason matchup with Seattle, and are ready to rewrite a different playoff narrative this season.