The Seahawks had the 49ers in the first half, not gonna lie. Over the final 30 minutes though the home team imposed their will and took home a 41-23 win in the wild card round of the playoffs.
Seattle led by a point, 17-16, at the halfway mark thanks to some poor execution in the waning seconds by the 49ers defense and special teams. The 49ers poured it on the second half though and outscored the Seahawks 24-6 in the third and fourth quarters.
Here are our observations from each quarter of Saturday’s laugher at Levi’s:
First quarter
– Nice stop by Javon Kinlaw on a second-and-short on Seattle’s opening series. The 49ers need a big game from him.
– Arik Armstead comes up with a sack on third-and-2! Great work from him against Seattle’s left guard Gabe Jackson. The Seahawks tried blocking him one-on-one, and that was not going to work.
– Oh dear. Brock Purdy’s first throw was a shot to Deebo Samuel and it was not good. He missed way too high and nearly threw an interception.
– Samuel and Christian McCaffrey in the backfield on second-and-10. McCaffrey motioned out and Purdy hit Brandon Aiyuk for 19 yards. Good bounce-back play from the rookie QB.
– Lots of deep throws early from Purdy.
– Purdy looks a little shaky early. He’s missed a couple throws down the field, and on third-and-3 in the red zone he was nearly intercepted after what looked like maybe a miscommunication with Jauan Jennings, who he badly underthrew earlier in the drive. Robbie Gould hit a short field goal to put the 49ers up 3-0 early.
– Seattle starts their second drive at their own 38 thanks to a big return. That’s the kind of thing that will keep them in the game.
– Another third-and-2 for the Seahawks and they try a read option. Geno Smith kept it, but Tashaun Gipson made an unbelievable play to track him down for a loss and force another Seattle punt. Two drives, two three-and-outs.
– Christian McCaffrey’s first touch is a handoff that goes for 66 yards. He’s pretty good!
– Brock Purdy is just different, man. Second-and-goal, nobody is open so he dances around in the pocket and found a wide open Christian McCaffrey for an easy touchdown. That was sick. It’s 10-0, 49ers.
– Deommodore Lenoir matched up on DK Metcalf is not an advantageous matchup for the 49ers.
– Seattle’s offense is starting to roll a little bit late in the first quarter. RB Kenneth Walker is a heck of a player.
End of first quarter: 49ers 10, Seahawks 0
Second quarter
– Fred Warner and Charles Omenihu were both shaken up on a Walker carry early in the second quarter. Seattle is dedicated to running the ball here. The longer they stay in this game the harder they’ll be to defend.
– That was cool by Seattle. They ran a direct snap to Walker after Smith lined up under the right guard. The play worked on third-and-1.
– Easy TD for Walker. The 49ers defense looked terrible on that series. Bad tackling and undisciplined against the run and pass. Seattle went 78 yards in 14 plays. Easy work for them. It’s 10-7 now.
– Good response by the 49ers after Seattle’s TD. Purdy hits Aiyuk for 23 yards on a play action boot. Easy read and good throw.
– The Seahawks are selling out to stop the run.
– Whew. Purdy is settling in. On second-and-12 he scrambled for 13 yards and a first down.
– Oh no. Purdy tries a shot to Aiyuk and it’s nearly intercepted. Samuel was wide open on a crossing route.
– Seattle is getting downhill so fast against the run. Expecting plenty of play action as this game plays out.
– Purdy took a sack on a blown up screen where Aaron Banks got worked on the interior. Just nowhere for Purdy to go. That sets up third-and-17 and the 49ers stall out in the red zone again. Gould hits another short field goal. 13-7, 49ers.
– Another big return puts Seattle at their own 30 to start their drive after the 49ers’ field goal. Huge series for San Francisco’s defense.
– Seattle is killing San Francisco with play action. This is as off-balance as the 49ers have looked on defense since the Chiefs game.
– Deep shot to DK Metcalf goes for a 50-yard TD and Seattle has the lead. This is what happens when red zone trips turn into field goal instead of touchdowns. Charvarius Ward got cooked. It’s 14-13, Seahawks.
– 5:01 left with the 49ers offense taking the field down a point. A long drive and any points would be huge because the 49ers get the ball back after halftime.
– The interior of the 49ers’ offensive line is having an abysmal first half. Seattle is in the backfield on every play.
– Another bad throw from Purdy on third-and-3 and the 49ers will punt. Another near interception. Three-and-out is bad, bad, bad.
– Good work by WR Danny Gray on special teams to help pin Seattle inside their own 20 after a nice punt by Mitch Wishnowsky.
– Ward just got railroaded by Metcalf. Tough look for the 49ers’ CB.
– The 49ers are just doing a poor job of tackling. They’re stuffing runs early, but allowing Seahawks RBs to wiggle away and find yards.
– Another long catch for Aiyuk. This time it’s a 31-yarder to start the 49ers’ final drive of the half. He has three catches, all have gone for 20-plus yards.
– And another overthrow by Purdy. He had Jennings open. Woof.
– There’s a good throw on third-and-10 to Samuel for a first down. This is the kind of game where Samuel needs to be a huge factor.
– Purdy won’t stop bailing out of the pocket to the left and throwing the ball away.
– Story of the first half: a short Robbie Gould field goal gives the 49ers a 16-14 lead.
– Unbelievable. The 49ers squib it to give Seattle great field position, and then Geno Smith scrambles on a play that would’ve ended the half, but Jimmie Ward whacked him after the slide to gift the Seahawks 15 yards to put them in field goal range. An absolute disaster sequence for the 49ers defense.
Halftime: Seahawk 17, 49ers 16
Third quarter
– Seattle is cooking the middle of the 49ers’ offensive line. It’s a huge problem in the run game.
– Samuel is so sick. Third-and-7, Purdy hit him well short of the sticks in traffic, and Samuel broke a couple tackles to turn it into a 22-yard gain and a first down.
– Abhorrent officiating on the 49ers’ first series of the quarter. They’ve missed a facemask and a Seattle defender twisting Samuel’s ankle well after the play on his 22-yard pickup.
– The 49ers ran the heck out of the ball and cap their first series with a QB sneak and Purdy has his first rushing TD in the playoffs. They go 75 yards in 13 plays and retake the lead. It’s 23-17, 49ers.
– Metcalf is having a monster game. The 49ers just don’t have an answer.
– Wow Talanoa Hufanga nearly came up with a huge play on a blitz but Walker did well to pick him up. Smith never saw him, that might’ve been a fumble.
– The 49ers can’t get off the field on third down. That’s a problem.
– Smith has had all day to throw a couple times on Seattle’s first series of the third quarter and the 49ers are doing an excellent job in coverage to force throwaways.
– Levi’s Stadium is rocking.
– Third-and-12 conversion. Quick slant and Metcalf gets inside for 13 and a first down. Woof.
– The 49ers pass rush is nonexistent. Smith is also getting the ball out quick, but even on deeper drops, there’s just nobody impacting the pocket.
– Hey! A pass breakup by Ward on Metcalf!
– There’s the pass rush! Charles Omenihu forces a fumble on a third-and-14 deep in the red zone and Nick Bosa dives on it. That’s a massive stop. The 49ers offense needs a TD in this spot.
End of third quarter: 49ers 23, Seahawks 17
Fourth quarter
– FINALLY Purdy hits Jennings on a shot play. That’s a 33-yard pickup. The 49ers have tried two other times to get Jennings a deep throw and that time Purdy fit it into a tight window.
– PURDY! Wow! He nearly took a sack, escaped, then found a wide open Elijah Mitchell for an easy TD. That was some unbelievable improvisation from the rookie signal caller. Purdy then connected with Kittle on the two-point conversion and San Francisco is up 31-17. This is a tremendous bounce-back from Purdy.
– This is big. A holding call followed by a false start put Seattle in a first-and-25. The 49ers will tee off in these spots.
– Scary play for the 49ers’ defense. Metcalf got a step on Ward, but Smith overthrew him thanks to a little bit of pressure in his face.
– NIGHT NIGHT. 74 yards for Deebo Samuel and the 49ers are up three scores. That’s the play Samuel has been close to breaking multiple times. He’s up to 133 receiving yards and the 49ers are ROLLING.
– Deommodore Lenoir! He’s been picked on all game, but this time he steps in front of WR Tyler Lockett for an interception! That’s the second takeaway of the game, and that should just about do it from Levi’s Stadium. Awesome to see from Lenoir who had a couple rough weeks to end the season. Now he should send the 49ers to the divisional round.
– Purdy!!! He bought all sorts of time, faked out defenders, and then drilled a dime into Brandon Aiyuk in the back of the end zone, but Aiyuk flat out dropped it. The 49ers kicked another field goal, but that would’ve been an iconic 49ers play if it goes for a TD.
– Seattle is moving the ball some late in the fourth, but the 49ers have pulled a bunch of their defensive starters.
– Another sack for Omenihu. If the 49ers are gonna get another huge playoffs from him, their defense is in a great spot.
– Metcalf gets in the end zone again inside of two minutes left. The fact Seattle had such a hard time finding pay dirt against the 49ers backups is wild. They failed the two-point conversion to keep it a 41-23 49ers lead.
Final score: 49ers 41, Seahawks 23
