Divisional rivals don't like one another. It's always been like that, and that's not going to change any time soon. There's just something about facing the same team twice a year -- at least -- and going toe-to-toe with them for a playoff spot that makes every single snap matter more.
That's why the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers have no love for each other. They both play a tough, bruising, and physical style of defense, and it's not unusual to see things get heated after a hit.
Fans can certainly expect that to be the case again on Saturday. The Seahawks will host their NFC West rivals for the Divisional Round, and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu made sure to stir the pot ahead of that matchup. Talking on Seattle Sports' The Huddle, he didn't hold back on his thoughts about the Niners.
Uchenna Nwosu says no one on the Seattle Seahawks likes the Niners
"I don't like the 49ers, I'm just straight up with it," Nwosu said. "Like, I don't like them. None of us like them, we shouldn't like them. So, like I said, we're just ready for this opportunity. Everybody's mindset's on the right path, practice has been good all week, everybody's been (paying) attention to details in the meetings, so we're ready to go out there and show it."
That's just the way it should be. As long as they keep it on the field and sportsmanlike, that's what the fans want to see. And, given their recent matchups, people should expect this to be a low-scoring, old-school, hard-hitting game that will be won and lost in the trenches.
Nwosu didn't stop with just commenting on a radio show, either. He also posted on 49ers linebacker Fred Warner's Instagram page after a Warner post, with Nwosu writing, "The road ends here brother."
There is a caveat to that, though. Nwosu wasn't being a jerk. He is one of the better human beings in the league and was recently the Seahawks nominee for the NFL Man of the Year award. The caveat is that Nwosu and Warner went to high school together and were friends then. There was no malice involved in Nwosu's IG post, and Nwosu said he was surprised his post got so much attention.
Ultimately, it is the game that matters, of course.
In Week 18, the Seahawks didn't find much trouble shutting down Brock Purdy and the Niners' offense in the regular-season finale, and the visitors just lost star tight end George Kittle for the remainder of the season. That being said, Kyle Shanahan is one of the savviest head coaches in the game, and he's going to have something prepared for Mike Macdonald's defense.
Macdonald has split his four meetings with the Niners since he took the reins of the team last year, and he'll look to get consecutive wins against them for the first time. His team has homefield advantage, is well-rested, healthier, and was better in the regular season. Then again, divisional games are always a toss-up, and they need to make sure that spite doesn't get to their heads.