49ers’ thoughts on Seahawks are hard to believe after big-game losses

After the San Francisco 49ers were dominated by the Seahawks in two high-stakes games in January, they watched from the couch as their NFC West rivals later celebrated their Super Bowl LX victory at Levi’s Stadium by shooting Coors Lights, smoking Meerapfel cigars and dancing to NBA YoungBoy in the 49ers locker room.

Eight months later, with the stench no longer lingering, the 49ers will meet the defending NFL champions on Sunday for the first time since they finished the 2025 season being dominated 54-9 by the Seahawks in 14 days.

How motivated will the revenge-seeking 49ers be for this matchup?

“Just another week,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “Next.”

Center Jake Brendel also offered a response that amounted to a muffled yawn.

“It’s not so much that they were in our locker room and won the Super Bowl and that kind of thing,” Brendel said. “But he’s a divisional opponent.”

Guard Dominick Puni hit the same note. He suggested the 49ers would be as motivated to face Seattle as they were when they hosted Arizona, losing 17 of their last 21 games, in Week 3.

“I think any time you play a divisional opponent — whether it’s the Seahawks or the Rams or the Cardinals — there’s always a little bit more juice in that game,” Puni said.

The 49ers, undefeated (4-0), play the role of unscathed before meeting Seattle (3-1) at Lumen Field. Of course, it’s hard to believe they’re really that jaded after the Seahawks beat them 13-3 in the 2025 regular season finale, taking the NFC’s No. 1 seed from the 49ers, then beating them 41-6 in the divisional playoffs, handing the 49ers their second-worst playoff loss in franchise history.

A sign that the 49ers are not very frank: their head coach had a different scenario on Wednesday. Kyle Shanahan at least acknowledged that there could be even more emotion on Sunday given that the Seahawks beat them by five touchdowns shortly before winning the Lombardi Trophy.

“I think playing a divisional game is always a little more intense,” Shanahan said. “Playing against a big rival like the Seahawks always do. They’re the Super Bowl winners. How the last game went. So, everything.”

The last time Shanahan saw Seattle up close wasn’t during the divisional-round beatdown. Instead, it was during Super Bowl LX, when Shanahan served as a pregame and halftime guest analyst. He said he left with his wife, Mandy, in the third trimester. He didn’t want to see the Seahawks finish their 29-13 victory?

“Not at all,” Shanahan said. “It was hard.”

The players are certainly underestimating their emotions for Sunday’s game, but there are reasons not to get too high: It’s only Week 5 and the veteran-laden 49ers know that an early-season win in Seattle might not mean much in a few months. Last year, the 49ers opened their season with a 17-13 victory at Lumen Field.

Still, a little revenge would be nice after the Seahawks limited them to three field goals in their last two meetings.

When asked about his outlook for another week, Warner smiled, suggesting his true emotions were just below the surface, when he was reminded of the Seahawks celebrating a title in the 49ers locker room shortly after beating them twice.

Before Warner roared like a lion, feigning fury, he asked, “Are you trying to piss me off?”