It's tough beating an opponent just once in the NFL. It's even tougher beating your division opponents twice a season. Last season, the San Francisco 49ers faced one NFC West rival three times. In addition to the two regular-season games against the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers had to meet them again in the NFC Championship Game.
Last season, San Francisco swept Los Angeles in the two regular-season games. However, the playoff matchup was a different story. The Niners came up just short, missing an opportunity to return to the Super Bowl.
This season, the 49ers swept the entire division. However, one more NFC West foe will get another crack at the division champions. The Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs thanks to the Detroit Lions knocking off the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. On Saturday, they will travel to Santa Clara to face the 49ers at Levi's Stadium.
What did 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan think when he learned that he would face the Seahawks a third time?
"Really, all it did was make us lose Monday because we found out we were playing Seattle, and we know we're playing Saturday," Shanahan told reporters via a conference call on Monday. "So once we found out after the game, we quickly realized that Monday was going to be Tuesday for us, so just got right to that point."
The 49ers opted not to have a team meeting on Monday, which is now their Tuesday.
"I just wanted those guys working all on recovery and things like that," Shanahan said. "And now that we know that we're playing Saturday, this Tuesday will be a Wednesday, so we have today to get our whole game plan in, players will do their recovery, they'll come in tomorrow, and for [that practice] we'll most likely go half speed. We won't do a full-speed practice [on Tuesday] or anything like that, and we'll just get that going on Wednesday."
Did Shanahan learn anything by playing the Rams three times last season that might help in this playoff matchup?
"I don't really look at it as you have to beat someone three times," Shanahan responded. "I just look at it as we've got to beat them on Saturday. That's the game. I don't think the other games have [anything] to do with it. It all comes down to this. That's how it was last year too. There was no difference to me in that.
"I mean, teams know each other pretty well. 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 here. Usually, every time we play, it comes down to the wire, usually the last possession, and that's what we're working [on] and ready to fight for."
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