Those wacky black helmets did the 49ers no favors in a Saturday night game, as they blew their storybook chance at home field advantage through the Super Bowl, getting suffocated by Seattle 13-3.

Your San Francisco 49ers came into an unusual Saturday night NFL game with a sterling 12-4 record and a glorious fairy tale scenario in front of them: beat the Seattle Seahawks, which would win them the Number 1 seed in the NFC, and they would have home field advantage all the way through the Super Bowl which is being played at Levi’s Stadium. But that fairy tale took a beating with a 13-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, where the Niners scored their fewest points in any game all season, and just six days after they scored six touchdowns against the Chicago Bears.

The short-handed 49ers defense played their hearts out. They gave up a long seven-and-a-half minute opening drive to the Seahawks, who had a first-and-goal at the Niners’ one-yard line. But the defense stopped ‘em on with a memorable goal line stand, keeping the score 0-0.

But the 49ers’ offense promptly went three-and-out and punted. And on the Seahawks’ ensuing drive, running back Zach Charbonnet was able to waltz 27 yards largely untouched for a 7-0 Seattle lead.

It would be the only touchdown scored in the game.

The 49ers could not get any offense going, and both teams managed but a measly field goal apiece in the second quarter. Otherwise, the Seahawks missed another second-quarter field goal, the 49ers choked on a fourth-down attempt, and the Niners found themselves losing a defensive battle 10-3 at halftime.

And then came the late third quarter play that will haunt the 49ers’ film room all week. With the Seahawks looking at third-and-seventeen, and up by just seven points, the Niners were primed to get the ball right back on a punt. But they somehow allowed Seahawks backup running back Kenneth Walker III to gash deep into their secondary for a 19-yard gain, which would set up another Seattle field goal and a 13-3 deficit.

The 49ers were driving with one last chance, down ten points, and all the way down at the Seahawks’ six-yard line. But Christian McCaffrey would bobble a Brock Purdy pass, which bounced right into the arms of Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas. It was a game-losing interception, the Niners’ first red zone turnover of the season, and it came at the absolute worst possible time.

One can wonder if the 49ers cursed themselves with those puzzling black helmets and uncalled-for alternate uniforms. And were those fishnets on the red sections of the 49ers’ strange pants?

Image: NFL .com

So Seattle wins the NFC West and the Number 1 seed in the NFC. The 49ers will drop all the way down to either the Number 5 or Number 6 seed, and that seed gets determined by whether the LA Rams beat the Cardinals later today. A Cardinals win puts the 49ers’ Wild Card game against whatever hapless, losing-record team wins the NFC South today, a Rams win would send the 49ers into a likely road playoff game against the formidable defending champion Philadelphia Eagles.

So Niners fans would prefer to see the Arizona Cardinals beat the Rams today in a game that is on Fox at 1:25 pm PT.

Though remember, even with Saturday night’s loss to the Seahawks, it’s still on the table that the 49ers could be playing in the Super Bowl at their home stadium on Sunday, February 8.

Related: 49ers Clinch Playoff Spot, Even Though They Had the Day Off on Sunday [SFist]

Image: SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 03: Zach Charbonnet #26 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter of a game at Levi's Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)