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Cornerback Charvarius Ward Is Injured Soon
The first big play of the day resulted in a back injury. In Seattle’s first round, Ward almost threw a ball to Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and in the process of breaking up the pass, suffered a mouth injury that forced him to from the game. Ward was asked to return in the first half but did not return to the game. Ward’s pass breakup was his 20th of the season, and he remains the league-leader in passes defensed.
49ers Climb Big on Open Drive
It took the 49ers 57 seconds to find their way into the end zone on Sunday afternoon. Their hot start on offense was all thanks to 72 yards from running back Christian McCaffrey on the first play of the game. McCaffrey cut to the left sideline through key blocks from wide receiver Deebo Samuel and fullback Kyle Juszczyk near the line of scrimmage and was able to get inside the Seattle five yards. line with an open block from wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Running back Jordan Mason took the other hand and ran in for a three-yard score.
“You don’t know (the game is going to break) until it happens,” McCaffrey said. “You just have to read one gap at a time, depending on the guys in front of you.
“That was a great job by those guys up front all day. BA blocked it down, 75 yards down the field, which has become a habit for him, so I appreciated that. . Good job by all those guys up front.”
Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel Continues to Heat Up
The 49ers do-it-all wide receiver had three touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13 and continued the scoring against the Seahawks. The 49ers trailed 10-7 at the start of the second quarter on a tough, third-and-long drive, quarterback Brock Purdy called Samuel’s number, then the wideback up. a deep cross to turn with others. Samuel caught Purdy’s pass at about Seattle’s 15-yard line and ran untouched into the end zone. The touchdown put the 49ers up 14-10 with 8:18 left in the half.
Samuelu’s drive continued in the second half. On third-and-five at the end of the third quarter, Purdy escaped, drove to the right and hit Samuel in the middle of the field for 13 yards that got the offense on the line by the Seahawks’ one yard. On the next play, the wideout took a handoff and ran down the left sideline to give the 49ers a 21-10 lead.
“Since I came back from the injury, I have seen that the level of the game has improved week by week,” said Samuel. “I just take it day by day to be the best I can be for the team.”
The defense was hungry in the second half
After giving up ten points in the first half, San Francisco’s defense came out and sputtered in the third quarter. The unit started with a quick third-and-three made possible by a big pass breakup from corner Deommodore Lenoir on second-and-10 and third down by linebacker Fred Warner and cornerback Isaiah Oliver. On the other defensive end, defensive end Clelin Ferrell came up with a sack of Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock and tackled running back Zach Charbonnet for a four-yard loss to help the fourth. strengthening the Seahawks’ offense.
To close out the big plays of the quarter, Chase Young overcame Lock on the two-point attempt. The secondary made its impact early in the fourth quarter with tight end Ji’Ayir Brown picking off Lock at Seattle’s 25-yard line. The 49ers’ defensive line added three more sacks in the fourth quarter, 1.5 of which belonged to AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa. Linebacker Nick Bosa also made a big play, getting interception No. 2 for San Francisco with just over three minutes left to play.
George Kittle Comes to Pay the Dirt
The 49ers’ offense got a much-needed boost after Samuel’s third-quarter field goal, and on the 49ers’ next possession, Kittle wanted to engage in crime-pleasing. Purdy, most of the time, spread left to the tight end, who ran past three defenders on his way into the zone. edge. The touchdown gave San Francisco a two-point cushion heading into Sunday’s championship game.
Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk Hits Career Milestone
The fourth-year wideout entered Sunday’s contest 73 yards shy of the 1,000-yard receiving mark and surpassed that mark against the Seahawks after catching six passes. for 126 yards. He is the first 49ers to record back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons since Anquan Boldin in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
“Every year he gets better, on the football field and off the football field, which carries over to the football field as he ages,” Shanahan said. “He is one of our leaders, I think BA has come a long way.
“He’s very strong for the game, and sometimes he doesn’t have the ball for a while, then it’s late, sometimes it happens quickly, but BA this year , it doesn’t matter at all. He’s the same inside and outside, and runs down both the run game and the pass game. With the type of football player he is and his talent, you feel it’s only a matter of time before he gets his 1,000 (yards). He deserves it, and he’s been good for us this year.”