The San Francisco 49ers survived the Seattle Seahawks' best punch in their Wild Card Round matchup. That's mainly because of a solid effort during the final two quarters that allowed the 49ers to run away with the 41-23 victory and move to the Divisional Round. Here we'll discuss the studs and duds from the 49ers' big NFL Wild Card Round win versus the Seahawks.
The Seahawks put up a strong fight against the 49ers in the first half of this game. However, the 49ers' rookie quarterback, Brock Purdy, remained unfazed by the Seahawks' pressure and tactics. Recall that despite the Niners starting the game strong with 13 points in their first three possessions, they missed out on a halftime lead due to a penalty on Jimmie Ward that allowed the Seahawks to score a field goal.
In the second half, though, the 49ers demonstrated their championship potential. They began the third quarter with a long 75-yard touchdown drive that took up nearly eight minutes of the clock. The 49ers' offense and defense also improved, specifically on third down and in terms of turnovers. Keep in mind that Nick Bosa's fumble recovery off a strip sack was a turning point in the game. That sparked a 25-0 run by the 49ers, giving Seattle the boot.
For now, let us look at the studs and duds from the 49ers' NFL Wild Card Round win over the Seahawks.
49ers Studs
QB Brock Purdy
San Francisco's Brock Purdy created history yet again. He is currently the franchise's first rookie quarterback to start a postseason game. Additionally, with this victory over Seattle, he is also unbeaten in seven outings. Purdy started the day slowly, completing nine of 19 passes for 147 yards, one touchdown, and a 91.3 passer rating. However, he completed the day 18-for-30 for 332 yards, three touchdowns, and a 131.5 passer rating. Purdy has now posted a passer rating of 100 or above in five of his seven outings. Even better, he scored a one-yard running touchdown to cap off a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive to start the second half. If it wasn't clear before, it should be now — Purdy is a keeper.
BROCK. PURDY. WOW.
😳
(via @49ers) pic.twitter.com/6K7o2zjnlL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 14, 2023
RB Christian McCaffrey
Niners RB Christian McCaffrey continues to contribute week in and week out. Not surprisingly, he made his presence felt in his first playoff action for the team. McCaffrey gained 68 yards on the first play of the 49ers' second offensive series and finished the drive with a three-yard receiving touchdown. In the first half, McCaffrey also had five carries for 72 yards and two catches for 17 yards, and a receiving score. In the second half, he had 10 receptions for 47 yards.
Even though the 49ers were back to full strength at the playmaker positions for the start of the playoffs, the 26-year-old was still significantly active on offense. McCaffrey should continue to be an important offensive component going into the next round.
WR Deebo Samuel
Deebo Samuel had an outstanding start to the post-season. He collected six catches for 133 receiving yards (a season-high) and a touchdown. He also contributed with 3 carries for 32 running yards.
Samuel performed well despite the lower-body injuries he had suffered late in the regular season. He did have a minor scare when Johnathan Abram grabbed and twisted his previously injured ankle after a play was whistled dead. However, he only missed one down before returning to the field and closing out the game.
Samuel and CMC were the main driving force of head coach Kyle Shanahan's offensive game plan and will likely continue to be so in the upcoming game.
Defensive Line
The 49ers defense started off strong by quickly stopping Seattle's offense and forcing them to punt. DL Arik Armstead made a significant impact by sacking Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith on third-and-two for a loss of eight yards. Seattle was then unable to score until the second quarter.
Charles Omenihu also helped to boost the 49ers' performance by getting the first takeaway of the game in the final minutes of the third quarter. He strip-sacked Smith on third-and-14 and Bosa recovered the loose ball. That set the 49ers up on their own 30-yard line. They went on to score on the following drive and took the lead with a score of 31-17 early in the fourth quarter. Omenihu also came up with a second sack in the final three minutes of the game.
49ers Duds
S Jimmie Ward
Late in the second quarter, the 49ers were leading 16-14 and looking to maintain the advantage heading into halftime. However, Seattle had the ball on their own 38-yard line with only nine seconds left in the half. Geno Smith was unable to connect with any of his receivers, so he ran for nine yards.
This should have led to a Hail Mary pass with one-second remaining, but that did not happen due to a penalty on Jimmie Ward. As Smith slid to end the play, Ward hit him, which resulted in a flag for unnecessary roughness. This penalty moved the ball 15 yards closer. It allowed Jason Myers to make a 56-yard field goal, giving Seattle a 17-16 lead heading into halftime.
CB Charvarious Ward
Despite the 49ers' overall strong performance, Charvarious Ward had some difficulties during the entire game. In particular, he had trouble covering DK Metcalf and was replaced by Deommodore Lenoir for much of the second half. Metcalf had a 50-yard touchdown and 10 catches for 136 yards during the game.
Lenoir, who had been targeted frequently throughout the season, was the better player in this game. he even had an interception in the fourth quarter as Seattle became desperate.
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