It’s hard to believe the 49ers on Saturday trailed the Seahawks 17-16 at halftime of their wild card matchup. They wound up scoring 25 of the final 31 points and left their playoff opener a 41-23 winner.
Here are some takeaways from a dominant performance by San Francisco:
Bounce-back Brock
It was pretty clear early in the game that Brock Purdy was playing in his first playoff game. He looked jittery in the pocket and missed some throws, and he finished the first half just 9-of-18 for 147 yards and one touchdown. The second half saw the 49ers’ rookie settle in though. He looked more composed in the final two quarters and completed 9-of-11 for 185 yards and two touchdowns. He also punched in a rushing score on a QB sneak. Purdy is going to have some lows. His ability not to let those lows drag him down is perhaps his greatest trait, and it translated to the postseason.
2nd half shutdown
Not only was Purdy good in the second half, but the 49ers defense turned the faucet off on a Seahawks offense that started moving the ball with some success in the first half. In the first half the Seahawks posted 17 points and averaged 5.7 yards per play. In the second half they posted 6 points and averaged 4.9 yards per play. Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker lit up the 49ers for 54 yards on 13 first-half carries. Those numbers plummeted to 9 yards and two attempts in the second half. The 49ers defense lived up to its billing in the final 30 minutes Saturday.
Weapons were weaponing
The 49ers’ embarrassment of riches on offense was on full display against Seattle. RB Christian McCaffrey went for 136 yards and a touchdown on 17 total touches. WR Deebo Samuel had 133 receiving yards and a touchdown, and added 32 yards on three carries. WR Brandon Aiyuk had only three catches, but they were all explosive plays while he put up 73 yards. TE George Kittle caught both of his targets for 37 yards. It’s not going to be easy to stop the 49ers offense if Purdy plays the way he did in the second half.
Turnover turning point
The floodgates opened on the Seahawks on Saturday when the 49ers defense finally forced a turnover. San Francisco led 23-17, but Seattle was in the red zone late in the third quarter. On a third-and-14, 49ers DL Charles Omenihu got through Seattle’s offensive line and got his hand on the ball as Seahawks QB Geno Smith stood in the pocket. The resulting fumble was snagged by DE Nick Bosa. Not only did the 49ers keep the Seahawks off the board, they capitalized with a seven-play, 70-yard drive that gave the 49ers a 31-17 lead with less than a quarter to go. Deebo Samuel’s 74-yard TD catch put the game on ice, but Omenihu’s forced fumble was the turning point.
Undefeated vs. NFC West
The 49ers went 7-0 against their division this season. That’s the first time they’ve gone undefeated against the NFC West. Their three wins over the Seahawks in 2022 equal the number of wins they had against Seattle from 2013 to 2021 combined.
Deommodore Lenoir's revenge
Lenoir was under a microscope when the Las Vegas Raiders made it a point to target him in their Week 17 matchup with the 49ers. The result was the team’s worst defensive showing of the year. He then gave up a 77-yard touchdown on the second play of the 49ers’ Week 18 game against the Cardinals. Lenoir was again a focal point for Seattle’s offense, but he played well and came up with an interception with 10:45 left that pulled the plug on any chance Seattle had of climbing out of a three-touchdown deficit.
