SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The matchups from the quarterbacks to the coaches will be discussed ad nauseam in the coming days, and opinions will vary on what strategies should be used. But beyond the X’s and O’s, the fundamental truth about Sunday’s NFC Championship is the 49ers don’t like the Seahawks and aren’t afraid to admit it.
“There’s no question there’s a lot of hostility between us,” said mild-mannered linebacker Patrick Willis. “They’re an opponent and we want to win.”
On paper, the Niners (14-4) versus the Seahawks (14-3) is about as good as it can get in the NFC. They’re the two best teams in the conference, playing their best football. The fact they genuinely can’t stand each other only adds to the hype.
When asked on Wednesday if the dislike between the two NFC West rivals was real, wide receiver Anquan Boldin didn’t hesitate: “I think so,” he said. “It will always be that way when you have two teams in the same division. You play each other two times a year and, if you’re good enough, possibly three times a year. It’s the same way when I was in Baltimore playing against Pittsburgh. You respect each other as foes, but there’s a real dislike.”
The two teams split their regular-season meetings, but what has the 49ers angry is the Seahawks have beaten them by a combined score of 71-16 in the last two games played in Seattle. That includes a 29-3 Seahawks win on Sept. 15 at CentruyLink Field. Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick had three interceptions and a lost fumble in September, but insists the two previous games in Seattle, “really don’t matter at this point. We’re trying this game so we can get to where we want to be.”
It’s understandable why the Niners and Seahawks don’t exchange Christmas cards. San Francisco is making its third straight trip to the NFC title game and isn’t used to being embarrassed, which is what happened when the Niners were beaten 42-13 in December 2012 before getting whipped again last September.
Not only did they have to put up with the crowd noise generated by the very vocal Seahawks fans, but they had to listen to the chatter coming from the players.
Boldin, for one, isn’t about to back down.
“If you want to talk and do a lot of that, feel free. But at the end of the day you have to play football,” Boldin said. “You can do all the talk and the rah-rah you want. But when all that emotion wears off, you’re still playing football. That’s when the real men show up.”
This may be the NFL’s best current example of familiarity breeds contempt. The overall series between the two teams if 15-15 with the Seahawks winning four of the last five games in Seattle. This is their first postseason matchup, though you get the feeling they’d be willing to play this on a sandlot with nobody around.
“This is only for the tough,” Niners coach Jim Harbaugh said, “this kind of game, this point in the season. Our guys are very happy about that. They’re very excited and very much looking forward to this being a lot of fun. I would trade to be able to compete as a player in this game. It’s pretty significant.”
The Niners beat the Seahawks, 19-17, Dec. 8 in San Francisco. It’s part of an eight-game winning streak that has infused them with confidence. Unlike other teams that might not be familiar with the intimidating atmosphere in Seattle, the Niners know what to expect.
“I’d be kidding myself if I said the crowd wasn’t loud,” Willis said. “But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. We have to play to the best of our ability. If we do that and God forbid we lose and we play our best football, then maybe it wasn’t meant to be. But at the end of the day it’s all about getting that W. We want to go out there and play our best football. This is the game to go to the Super Bowl and it’s going to take everything we have.”