The 49ers 31-13 victory over Seattle is their largest margin of victory in Seattle since 1988. It is also the first time in a long time that they have beaten Seattle on the road twice in a row. The Seattle Seahawks are a hard-nosed, well coached motivated team. They always play the 49ers tough.
Last night was the 49ers second Thursday Night game of the season. They won both Thursday night games which is a testament to their focus, preparation, and resiliency. Three days isn’t a lot of time to recovery your body after an NFL game, but the 49ers figured it out. Still, they suffered a major injury when George Odum injured his biceps. They are already thin at safety after losing Talanoa Hufanga to a torn ACL. It is feared Odum tore his biceps. The Niners will find out more today.
The 49ers defense kept the Seahawks offense out of the end-zone last night. It was quite an accomplishment given the parameter players the Seahawks feature. Seattle arguably sports one of the best trio’s of receivers in the game in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Yet, Coach Wilkes had his back seven locked in for the game.
Earlier this week, DK Metcalf stated that he didn’t know who the 49ers defenders were other than Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. Well, now he knows who Charvarius Ward is. Ward locked DK down. In fact, Ward was tasked with following DK wherever he was on the field. He defensed three pass’s thrown DK’s way. In fact, Geno Smith threw at DK Metcalf nine times, and Metcalf only secured three of those passes for 32 yards. Seattle’s leading receiver for the night was rookie, Jaxon Smith-Njigba who collected two passes for 41 yards.
The 49ers defensive line introduced themselves to Geno Smith as they turned Lumen Field into Sack city. Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Javon Hargrave, and Kevin Givens combined efforts as they sacked Geno Smith five times while safety Tashaun Gipson collected a sixth sack. If the Niners weren’t sacking Smith, they were hitting him after a pass. Bosa said no one knew what their stats were at the end of the game because there were so many defenders hitting Smith in the back field at any given time. The addition of Chase Young has allowed the interior defenders and Nick Bosa to collect stats, while the back seven concentrate on coverage.
Brock Purdy remained steady throughout the game. The 49ers have great respect for Seattle’s secondary. The running attack set up the 49ers passing attack. While the running game executed well, the passing attack struggled at times. Seattle forced the Niners off the field after three plays on three occasions. Two of those series ended with an incomplete pass, and one of the series ended with a sack. Lastly, after a very effective punt, Purdy was fooled by a Seahawks disguised coverage, and threw a pick six. Purdy’s pick six was the Seahawks only touchdown of the game.
Christian McCaffrey ran very well after being beat and battered against the Buccaneers last week. He collected 114 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. He also caught five passes for 25 yards, keeping drives alive on several occasions. McCaffrey started the game off snatching a 14 yard Purdy dart off a Texas route. Deebo Samuel came out and had himself a game as well. He carried the ball four times for 15 yards and a touchdown while snagging seven receptions for 79 yards. While Brandon Aiyuk was quiet during the game, he still caught two receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Aiyuk’s touchdown came two series after Purdy thru the pick six.
The 49ers forced three turnovers on Thursday night. The first came early in the second quarter when Ambry Thomas acrobatically picked off Geno Smith. Thomas is probably another name DK learned yesterday. The next turnover occurred when DeeJay Dallas muffed a punt and Ronnie Bell dove in to secure the ball. Unfortunately, the 49ers only scored three points off of these turnovers. They must do better against teams like the Eagles and Ravens who are still on the regular season schedule.
The 49ers headed into the second half with a 24 -3 lead. Seattle didn’t make it easy for the 49ers in the second half. The 49er defense started the second half forcing Seattle to punt after Nick Bosa ended their series with a seven-yard sack. Purdy ended their first offensive series of the second half with a pick six, then was forced into a three and out the very next series.
Seattle started the next offensive slow. However, on third and nine, Geno Smith hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a 34-yard pass down the field. Njigba tracked the ball over his shoulder and executed a dramatic one-handed grab. Seattle was in business, and the Niners knew it. Seattle drove the ball all the way the 49ers seven-yard line. On third and goal, Armstead and Hargrave combined for a sack forcing a field goal. That sack was likely the most important play of the game as it sucked the wind out of the Seahawks tattered sails.
The Seahawks defense and the 12th man wasn’t done. On the next series the 49ers drove to Seattle’s 37-yard line. It was 4th and three and Coach Shanahan decided to go for it. Unfortunately, Jon Feliciano flinched forcing a 49ers punt instead. The 49ers defense knew they had to step up again and Armstead and Bosa ended their drive with a three and out sack. Finally, the 49ers offense seized the initiative and executed an efficient six play drive ending with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Aiyuk. That pass was a straight money shot as Aiyuk collected it running into the end-zone.
There is a lot of debate about Brock Purdy. Is he a system quarterback? Is he only good because of the players around him? The proof is in the pudding now. Purdy is clearly talented. Any talented quarterback is going to look good when you have Trent Williams, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey around him. Purdy is smart, accurate and doesn’t rattle. On several occasions he threw the ball down the field as defenders were in his face. He threw a pick six and then two series later he throws Aiyuk open into the end-zone. Purdy deserves his due. While everyone keeps doubting him, he might walk away with the Lombardi trophy at the end of the season. For now, the Niners must focus on the best team in the league, the Eagles.
