49ers vs Seahawks: the turn of the tide
NFC Wild Card Playoffs.
Saturday, Jan 14 @ 1:30pm PT.
Welcome to the playoffs! Where you’re only guaranteed this one and only game. Lose and you’re out.
49ers come in favored to win by 9 points, but they show a shaky first half. The offense is missing easy hits and failing to finish their drives in the red zone. The defense gives up 17 points as it seems the Seahawks are pulling every trick out of their bag to win this game.
Seattle up 17-16 at halftime. The second half, however, tells an entirely different story. Here, we see the juggernaut of a team we expected. SF turns this into a 17-41 game before this effectively turns into garbage time and all the SF starters are resting.
In this post, I’d like to take a closer look at the drive which shifted the momentum of the game … before the Niners practically ran away with the win.
🏈 FUN
- ☁️ AWS NextGenStats (CMC TD) (Eli TD) (Deebo TD) (Purdy's Passing Chart) (Deebo's Reception Chart)
- ☠️ The team's reaction when Deebo's ankle got yanked by Johnathan Abrams afer the play was dead. (Deebo) (Shanahan) (Warner) (KP) (Video)
- 📈 Charles Omenihu is a young player that made huge contributions tonight. Acquired for cheap. (Jordan Elliot) (KP)
- 🏆 Brock Purdy is the first rookie QB to win a debut playoff start, and first rookie QB with 4 TDs in a playoff game. 16.8 yards per attempt in the second half. (Akash Anavarathan) (OurSF49ers) (Lombardi) (Video) (High Step)
- 🏊♂️ 49ers fans in speedos (OurSF49ers)
- 👶 "3 Ineligible Man Downfield penalties in a game would usually mean an RPO team, the linemen run-block get too far downfield while the QB pump fakes. This is just linemen wandering away like toddlers in the supermarket." (Mike Tanier)
- "It kind of makes us a little tired because we're got to run around too" - Deebo (NBCS49ers)
🎥 FILM
SEA 17, SF 23
2:25 - 3rd
The 49ers defense just came up with a huge strip sack while Seahawks were in red-zone territory. Now, the Niners offense have a chance to continue building on the energy & momentum and pull away to make it a 2 score game.
1st & 10 at SF 30 (2:25 - 3rd)
Feels like Purdy knows where he’s going with this ball before the ball’s even snapped. He sees the corner matching Deebo here is playing outside leverage. He briefly looks to the fieldside to move the middle linebacker (#57), then hits Deebo for a first down.
1st & 10 at SF 41 (1:40 - 3rd)
Nothing fancy here. Seems like it’s just a zone run flowing to the fieldside. CMC is supposed to patiently “ride the wave” of blockers until he finds a hole to gash through. However there’s nothing to the playside so CMC bounces to the backside and makes something out of nothing! An extremely special player. Gain of 8 yards.
2nd & 1 at SF 49 (0:58 - 3rd)
Deebo goes in motion which causes the linebackers to shuffle in his direction as the ball is snapped. Once the ball is snapped all the offensive linemen begin run blocking flowing to the boundaryside … selling the run in that direction. However, CMC is the intended recipient and will get the handoff to run the ball up the gut while the linebackers are off balance. BA and Jusczek seal off the backside for CMC.
1st & 10 at SEA 39 (0:17 - 3rd)
2nd & 11 at SEA 40 (14:46 - 4th)
Play action pass, faking the handoff to Eli Mitchell. Really cool to see Brunskill peel off his runblock to help passblock and secure the backside. Purdy takes a deep shot to Jennings!! It wasn’t a beautiful pass though … it could’ve been picked if there was better safety play.
The broadcast announcers made a really interesting point on this play though. Jennings is usually targeted on third downs, but is otherwise in to run block. 49ers break this tendency by sending him deep on the corner route.
1st & Goal at SEA 7 (14:13 - 4th)
2nd & Goal at SEA 7 (14:02 - 4th)
Offensive line is pass-blocking here, but they fake the handoff to Eli Mitchell and pull LG Aaron Banks to sell that run a bit. Looks like Purdy has 3 options on the boundaryside (fade to Aiyuk, corner to Kittle, curl to Deebo). He doesn’t like what he sees and the pocket is quickly getting messy. Spins out and throws to his wide open checkdown. Touchdown.
