The Seattle Seahawks will take on the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round of the playoffs this coming Saturday. Fans don't yet know the time, though, as the NFL is waiting a bit to announce that information. Still, according to Richard Sherman, Seattle might have gotten the opponent it wanted.
Moreover, Sherman pointed out recently on the Rich Eisen Show that the one team Seattle shouldn't want to face ahead of the NFC Championship is the Los Angeles Rams. The team might not care who they play first, but the majority of 12s probably agree with the Seahawks icon.
The 49ers were defeated in Week 18 at Lumen Field 13-3 in a game that didn't feel as close as the score. San Francisco was an injured team, missing left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, as well as still playing without elite defenders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.
Richard Sherman must like the way the postseason is playing out for the Seattle Seahawks
In the Divisional round, Williams will play, and Pearsall might, but the 49ers lost All-Pro tight end George Kittle to a torn Achilles tendon in the Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Eagles. Kittle, of course, was integral to what San Francisco does offensively, and his absence will definitely be felt.
The 49ers are still going to be a difficult team to beat, and have managed to overcome a myriad of injuries throughout the season. But the Rams should be the Seahawks' biggest obstacle in their path to the Super Bowl. LA and Seattle might be the two best teams in the NFL, and Richard Sherman knows it.
"I think that’s one team they don’t want to see in a divisional is the Rams," Sherman said. "They’d hope to see them a little later on down the line, so they’re hoping San Francisco can go to Philadelphia and get a win."
There are many reasons for that, of course. For one, the game in the Championship round would be better for the league. The game features the two teams that should be playing in the contest that decides who makes the Super Bowl.
The other reason is that it forces Los Angeles to travel one more time before playing the Seahawks. LA survived a tough game against the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round in Charlotte. That cross-country trip will be followed by a trip to Chicago to play the Bears.
To reach the Super Bowl, the Rams would have to defeat the Bears and then fly to Seattle to beat the Seahawks, hopefully. As we have learned in the postseason so far, though, the Seattle Seahawks beating the 49ers cannot be assumed.