Kupp, Lawrence, Reed, 27 NFL postseason games combined, are leading their young team into these playoffs. Plus: a Riq Woolen issue?
Cooper Kupp was doing what he usually does. He was out early to practice, doing extra work, catching passes from his quarterback, Sam Darnold.
Then DeMarcus Lawrence jogged onto the field — also earlier than most veteran starting players were outside.
Inside the team’s Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Jarran Reed has been sharing wisdom with his many younger teammates on what it takes to win in the NFL this time of year.
Three veterans, 31 combined seasons in the league, each with a team-high nine career playoff games, showing and telling what playoff football is.
The NFC West-champion Seahawks are among the three youngest teams in the NFL, by snap counts of regular starters. Three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon, do-it-all rookie Nick Emmanwori, breakout defensive tackle Byron Murphy, outside linebackers Derick Hall and Drake Thomas plus safety Ty Okada all start. They will all play huge roles Saturday night when the top-seeded Seahawks (14-3) host the San Francisco 49ers (13-5) in the NFC divisional playoffs at Lumen Field (5 p.m., FOX television, channel 13 locally). They all will be playing their first postseason game in the NFL.
They are learning already from their oldest, most postseason-experienced guys, still days before Seattle’s first playoff game in three years.
It’s not hard to see how Kupp and the 33-year-old Lawrence are leading.
Unless you aren’t outside to practice early enough.
Kupp, the Super Bowl MVP with the Los Angeles Rams four years ago, prefers to show rather than tell.
“Honestly, I really haven’t had to say much,” the 32-year-old wide receiver said. “It’s been a real cool just understanding globally in this building: We’re still on a mission. We have a mission in front of us, and we’re attacking it.
“We know we’re going to handle this week with an intention, with an understanding that we’re still under construction. We’re still working towards something.
“Everyone is excited about this opportunity.”
The 2 most playoff-experienced #Seahawks—WR Cooper Kupp and DE DeMarcus Lawrence (18 total postseason games)—among the 1st veteran starters on the field for practice 4 days before Seattle hosts 49ers in the divisional round.
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 13, 2026
Both are going to be large for the Seahawks coming up pic.twitter.com/NgDls5XKLg
It’s not hard to hear Reed’s example. He’s been talking to the younger Seahawks about it this week, and last week during the team’s playoff bye.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Reed, 33, said. “Just letting them know like don’t try to do nothing different. Do what we been doing the whole season. Lock into your film work. Make sure your preparation is right. Make sure your body is right, body and mind.
“You know, go into the week feeling good. Go into the game playing, feeling good and try to know (the game plan) inside out, if you can.” Leonard Williams is with Lawrence and Reed as one of the older and most experienced veterans on Seattle’s defensive front. Yet Williams, the Pro Bowl defensive end, has played in just two playoff games in his 11 NFL seasons. That’s because he spent the first 8 1/2 seasons in the league with New York’s woebegone Jets and Giants.
“I’m so excited,” Williams said. “I love playing in Lumen Field. Even from the outside perspective it’s one of the best stadiums to play in. Being part of this organization and now actually playing in the stadium as a home team, it’s even more electric.
“You know, bringing the playoff games here is going to be incredible.”
Witherspoon, Emmanwori, Hall, Thomas, Okada and the younger Seahawks know what playing home games inside Lumen Field is all about.
But they’ve never done playoff football inside their home stadium. No one has in almost a full decade. Saturday is the first postseason game in Seattle since Jan. 7, 2017 (the Seahawks and Rams played a wild-card playoff game in Seattle in Jan. 2021, but that was during the pandemic when the state prohibited fans from attending Seahawks home games).
The noise that shakes the 68,000-seat, cantilever-roofed stadium in SoDo will be louder, shake the place more, than during any Seahawks game the last nine years. That is a huge advantage for the Seahawks when the 49ers have the ball trying to communicate and operate on offense, an edge Seattle earned by beating San Francisco in week 18 to earn the top seed.
But that advantage is a challenge to the Seahawks defense. Coach Mike Macdonald has his defenders moving and changing before the snap, to confuse offenses. It’s a key part of Seattle’s success as the league’s top scoring defense.
Last season and especially early this season, Seahawks defenders struggled with communicating the noise in their home stadium. The Buccaneers in early October and Rams last month scored 38 and 37 points in Seattle, in a Seahawks home loss then home overtime win, partly because of communication issues, the players said afterward.
“I think it’s something that we already addressed early on,” Williams said. “We were doing a great job of winning on the road. From last year and then beginning of this year that’s something we wanted to work on is winning at home.
“And that was a challenge for us on defense, is: How do we communicate? How do we dial in when the crowd is so noisy?”
By using their hands. A lot.
“We’ve learned to communicate non-verbally,” Williams said, “and been winning at home.
“So I think luckily we addressed it early on already.”
Jarran Reed’s challenge
Reed first experienced Lumen Field’s noise at Seahawks home games in 2016. That was the year Seattle drafted him in the second round out of Alabama
He says he also can’t wait for Saturday night, his 10th career playoff game.
“I can’t wait to see the fans. I can’t wait to get out there and just feel the energy from the field,” Reed said.
“You know, we need our 12s out there. We need them as loud as ever. Trying to break the little sound meter (on the stadium scoreboard). I think it topped at 109. We’re trying to break it to where it can’t record it.
“We need it loud, man so the ‘Dark Side (Defense)’ can come alive. Especially if we’re going into a situation in the Death Zone, just playing our style of football.”
Seahawks’ new issues
The playoff bye week doesn’t mean the Seahawks are perfectly healthy.
Cornerback Riq Woolen was limited in practice Tuesday by a new oblique issue.
The team listed Lawrence as limited by an Achilles-tendon issue it disclosed for the first time — though the 33-year-old defensive end jogged smoothly onto the field before practice began.
Left tackle Charles Cross was a full participant. He returned to practice last week for the first time since he injured his hamstring on Jason Myers’ game-winning field goal on the final play against Indianapolis in week 14, Dec. 14. Tuesday was another sign Cross will start Saturday, after missing three games.
Tight end Elijah Arroyo was a full participant in his return off injured reserve. The rookie hasn’t played since week 13 at Atlanta in early December because of a knee injury.
#Seahawks new injuries: CB Riq Woolen, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, limited (though Lawrence 1 of the 1st vet starters on the field participating). Special-teams ace Chazz Surratt returned to practice off IR.
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 13, 2026
49ers' Fred Warner practiced off IR, possible rtn for NFCCG if SF gets there pic.twitter.com/0e73eUKD3A
Grey Zabel approves
This will be Cross’ first game since he signed a four-year contract extension last week. That means Cross and rookie guard Grey Zabel will be playing together through at least the next three seasons on the left side of Seattle’s line.
Zabel saw general manager John Schneider soon after the GM got Cross’ signature on his new contract. It has $75 million guaranteed.
Zabel told Schneider when he saw him last week: “Should have paid him more.”
Rookie G Grey Zabel has a message to the 6 teams that’ve interviewed #Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak for head-coach jobs:
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 13, 2026
“Klint’s the worst coach ever. Don’t hire him.”
Then: “He’s an unbelievable coach, friend. His football IQ is through the roof.” Says not a matter of if but when. pic.twitter.com/YODlPaarGl
Chazz Surratt returns
The team designated special-teams ace Chazz Surratt to return to practice off injured reserve. He was on the field for the start of practice. The team listed him as a limited participant.
He hasn’t played since Nov. 23 at Tennessee. He went on IR with an ankle injury after that game.
For Surratt to play against his former 49ers Saturday, and for Arroyo to play, the Seahawks would have to activate them to the 53-man roster by dropping two players off it before kickoff.
Special-teams ace Chazz Surratt (44) back to practice off injured reserve. A sign that he may play Saturday for the #Seahawks in their playoff game against his former 49ers.@thenewstribunepic.twitter.com/jOyFQPxc2b
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 13, 2026
Category: General Sports
