How Shanahan will approach endeavor to beat Seahawks again originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
A year ago, the 49ers had two regular-season victories over the Los Angeles Rams before facing them again in the NFC Championship Game.
That did not turn out well for the 49ers.
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And, now, they will be in a similar situation Saturday with a first-round playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday he does not believe the two previous games this season will have any bearing on what happens this weekend.
“I don’t really look at it as you have beat someone three times,” Shanahan said on a conference call with reporters. “I just look at it as we got to beat them on Saturday.
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“I don’t think the other games have anything to do with it. It all comes down to this.”
The 49ers beat the Rams last season by scores of 31-10 and 27-24 in overtime. The latter enabled the 49ers to reach the playoffs.
Then, the Rams rallied for a 20-17 victory over the 49ers in the postseason en route to a Super Bowl title.
This season, the 49ers registered a 27-7 victory over the Seahawks in Week 2 at Levi’s Stadium.
The 49ers clinched the NFC West title on Dec. 15 in Seattle with a 21-13 victory.
“The teams know each other pretty well,” Shanahan said. “You don’t get to surprise teams that much in situations like this, but that’s how it’s been with us and Seattle for a number of years.
“Usually every time we play, it comes down to the wire, usually the last possession, and that’s what we’re working and getting ready to fight for.”
The 49ers (13-4) swept the NFC West this season for only the fifth time in franchise history and the first time since 1997.
The Seahawks earned their spot in the postseason as the No. 7 seed Sunday night when the Detroit Lions upset the Green Bay Packers with a 20-16 victory at Lambeau Field.
Shortly after the conclusion of that game, the NFL announced the Seahawks-49ers playoff game at Levi’s Stadium would take place Saturday at 1:35 p.m.
“Really, all it did was make us lose Monday,” Shanahan said, “because we found out we were playing Seattle, then we know we’re playing Saturday.
“So once we found that out after the game, we quickly realized Monday was going to be Tuesday for us, so we got right to that point.”
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While the players are off Monday, the 49ers’ coaching staff will use the day to piece together their game plans.
The players will return to work on Tuesday with a half-speed workout before having a full practice on Wednesday, Shanahan said.
