Golden Nuggets: Memories of Hating the Seahawks

Good morning (or good afternoon/evening if you're one of our non-American friends) folks, it's game day! In what would have been a much ballyhooed affair just a few (very long) years ago, the 49ers return to Seattle to play a divisional matchup. This game has playoff implications for Seattle, as they remain in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot, but the 49ers have little other than pride to play for.

The major draw of this game to the greater NFL fanbase is a simple, but unlikely storyline. In a bygone era when the 49ers were good, they visited Seattle during the NFC Championship Game in a battle to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. In the game-winning play, self-proclaimed “best corner in the game” Richard Sherman tipped a pass intended for "sorry receiver" Michael Crabtree into the waiting hands of linebacker Malcolm Smith. Those Seahawks went on to roll the Broncos in the Super Bowl, and the 49ers immediately began their descent into perennial-dumpster-firedom.

Well, those two Seahawks defenders are now 49ers, and this marks the first time they're playing against their former team as 49ers. The wound is likely still fresh for Sherman, who was released after sustaining an Achilles injury - the first major injury of his career. It had been several years and a pitstop in Oakland for Smith, meaning it's less likely that he still harbors the same kind of ill will that Sherman (hopefully) does.

The 49ers haven't won a game against Seattle since 2013, and it's fairly unlikely that streak changes today.

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