The NFL playoffs are finally upon us, and while the Seattle Seahawks are not participating this weekend, there are still several points of interest for them and the 12th Man. For starters, the first game of Wild Card Weekend will be the Los Angeles Chargers taking on the Houston Texans at 1:30 pm Pacific Standard Time this afternoon.
Leading the charge for Los Angeles (ha, pun intended!) will be head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has his team in the playoffs during his first season back in the league. Saturday afternoon’s game will also be the first time Harbaugh will participate in an NFL postseason game since the 2013 NFC Championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
To this date, it is arguably the greatest victory in Seahawks franchise history, triumphing over their most loathsome rival in a game for the ages. It was a victory over both the 49ers, and their head coach – who had a rivalry with Pete Carroll dating back to their days coaching against one another in the Pac-12.
It was also a defeat for Harbaugh that ultimately signaled the end of his tenure in in the City by the Bay. The following year, the 49ers went 8-8, but were 7-4 at one point. Harbaugh left San Francisco to become the head coach at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, where he would eventually lead his Wolverines to a 15-0 record and a National Championship.
Now, Harbaugh’s got another team in the postseason, and this time as a favorite. Should they win, they will either play the Bills in Buffalo, have another rematch with the Chiefs in Kansas City, or even host the Pittsburgh Steelers, depending on how the other games this weekend play out.
