Seahawks, 49ers face off for NFC’s top seed in high-stakes showdown

By Josh Dubow The Associated Press SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The playoffs start a week early for the Seahawks and 49ers. The top two teams in the NFC West will square off Saturday night in a rare regular-season game with such high stakes as the winner will earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a first-round bye and home-field advantage before the Super Bowl. “I think in football, out of all sports, home-field advantage is the biggest advantage because I think crowd noise truly affects the game in terms of pass rush and things like that,” 49ers coach Kyle Shahanan said. “But, the main thing is just it’s one less game. I’d love to be home. That’s our goal. If that doesn’t work out, we’re...