49ers use second-half run to thump Seahawks: Brock Purdy shines in historic debut

Jan 14, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) makes a throw in the second quarter of a wild card game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
By The Athletic Staff
Jan 14, 2023

By Michael-Shawn Dugar, David Lombardi and Matt Barrows

The 49ers defeated the Seahawks 41-23 on Saturday behind 25 unanswered points in the second half. Here’s what you need to know:

  • The 49ers will face the second-highest seed remaining in the NFC divisional round next week. If the Giants win, the Niners will host the winner of Monday’s game between the Bucs and Cowboys.
  • 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy dazzled in the win, completing 18-of-30 passes for 332 yards with three passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion.
  • Seattle took a 17-16 halftime lead following touchdowns from Kenneth Walker III and DK Metcalf. Metcalf hauled in a 50-yard touchdown from Geno Smith, who finished with 253 passing yards on 25-of-35 passes with two touchdowns, one interception and the lost fumble.
  • San Francisco star running back Christian McCaffrey finished with 119 yards and a receiving touchdown. In the first quarter, he ripped off a 68-yard run to set up the 49ers’ first touchdown, a Purdy 3-yard pass to McCaffrey.
  • With the victory, San Francisco’s chance to win the NFC rose to 30.6 percent, according to the model built by The Athletic’s Austin Mock. The model also projects the 49ers as having a 15.8-percent chance to win the Super Bowl, second only to the Chiefs.
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Purdy shines

Slippery Brock proved to be a huge problem for the Seahawks on Saturday. Purdy, who’s been excellent at wriggling free of pressure since he took over from Jimmy Garoppolo in early December, twice found wide-open targets deep in the red zone after buying extra time with his feet. The first score came in the opening quarter when McCaffrey emerged from the wash at the line of scrimmage and Purdy found him alone to the right of the end zone. The second escape, early in the fourth quarter, was more impressive. Purdy wanted to go left, nearly was sacked, spun away from the pressure and found Elijah Mitchell alone to his right.

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One of the storylines when Purdy took over was how similar he was to Garoppolo — that the 49ers’ offense didn’t have to change much with Purdy under center. Purdy, however, has been better on the hoof than Garoppolo. If there was a shortcoming in that area, it was that Purdy hadn’t been all that good on quarterback sneaks, a Garoppolo specialty. But he had two successful ones on Saturday, including a touchdown in the third quarter. — Barrows

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Major defensive plays prove to be turning point

Turning point: Seattle was hanging with the 49ers and threatening to take them into deep water late in the third quarter. The Seahawks were driving and trailing only by six. But that’s when 49ers’ defensive end Charles Omenihu, who’d narrowly missed a sack on the prior drive, nailed Smith and jarred the ball loose. Nick Bosa fell on the fumble, sending Levi’s Stadium into an electric frenzy.

The 49ers, who’d finished the regular season with the best turnover differential in the NFL, again won that battle against Seattle (they were plus-2 in this game). It just took longer for their defense to grab control in this one. The first half saw the Seahawks run the ball effectively to set up an efficient Smith pass attack, largely off play action. But once the 49ers’ pass rush hits, as it did in the second half with Omenihu’s strip, the floodgates opened. — Lombardi

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49ers’ stars weapons shine bright

The 49ers are a nightmare to defend because of their plethora of weapons, and this was on especially prominent display against the Seahawks. McCaffrey rushed for 119 yards on 7.9 yards per carry but — outside a couple of key catches including the first touchdown — was used mainly as a decoy in the pass game. That’s because Deebo Samuel, who’s essentially interchangeable with McCaffrey and actually took the game’s first handoff, was the featured target in the pass game.

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Samuel finished with six catches for 133 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown on which the Seahawks appeared to have no interest in tackling him. When counting both the regular season and playoffs, Seattle finishes this season with the worst defense against yards after the catch — and Samuel is certainly a player built to exploit that. — Lombardi

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49ers’ defensive line struggles

When the 49ers faced the Rams for the third time last season, the Rams went off script by moving their safeties into the box to stop San Francisco’s running game. Seattle’s third-game wrinkle on Sunday was direct snaps to running backs. Those shouldn’t be terribly surprising, but the 49ers still had a hard time defending them and other rather basic runs in the first half. It was not a good half for defensive ends not named Bosa or Samson Ebukam.

Omenihu and Jordan Willis all had at least one play on which they failed to set the edge, and Walker scored on a corner-of-the-end zone run on one of them. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ top draft pick, defensive end Drake Jackson, was a healthy scratch for the third time in four games. Omenihu redeemed himself with a strip sack late in the third quarter, of course, but it still seems like an area the 49ers will look to upgrade in the offseason. Omenihu, Ebukam and Willis are scheduled for free agency in March. — Barrows

Seattle doomed by poor tackling

The 49ers finished the regular season with a league-high 6.63 yards after catch per reception. They were again proficient in that area on Saturday, taking advantage of arm tackles and poor angles by defenders in the open field. That’s how Mr. Irrelevant was able to throw for over 300 yards without completing many downfield throws.

His first two touchdowns were wide open plays in the flat to running backs, accounting for a total of 14 yards after the catch. His third touchdown pass was the result of Samuel picking up 66 yards after the catch. The key for Seattle entering this game was to limit that type of production. They failed. — Dugar

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Seahawks done in by turnovers

The first thing Pete Carroll is going to look at when the communications staff hands him a stat sheet is the turnover differential. That’s the stat Carroll feels most strongly correlates with success. The Seahawks were minus-2, both turnovers coming in the second half. It’s hard to beat any team that way, let alone one as loaded and dynamic as San Francisco. — Dugar

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Highlights of the game

Key stat

Purdy became the first rookie in NFL postseason history to throw at least three touchdowns and rush for another in the same game.

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What they’re saying

Asked if Smith will be the Seahawks quarterback next season, Carroll told reporters, “I hope so.”

“He’s for real. Geno’s the real deal,” Carroll said. “He can do all of the things that a terrific quarterback does. … His ability to stay poised and calm throughout the season, throughout the year — with all the hype and the buildup, he could have gone south five different times, and he didn’t. He never wavered. His leadership really stood out. His voice in the locker room, his voice with our players. He’s said the right stuff all year, right up to today.

“It’s a great story. … I thought he had an unbelievably great season for us.”

Asked if he expects to be back with the Seahawks, Smith answered, “I do.”

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Required reading

(Photo: Cary Edmondson / USA Today)

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