© Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
SEATTLE — The final game of the NFL season lived up to its billing. The Seahawks accomplished nothing in the first half, while the 49ers failed to start putting the nails in the coffin they were building for Seattle.
A 13-0 first half was the result of 49ers dominance held back by two first drive sacks (which forced a field goal) and some conservative play-calling from Kyle Shanahan to go for a field goal rather than a 4th-and-1 from the six-yard line.
For as domineering a performance as it was, the point total amassed by San Francisco was far from representative. Jimmy Garoppolo was nearly flawless in that first half (11-for-15, 156 yards), and connected with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders in a brutal, incisive fashion.
Samuel, aside from his one fumble (that he recovered) that preceded the 4th-and-1 field goal, was the 49ers’ most dynamic option all game. His 30-yard rushing touchdown in the first half gave him three rushing and three receiving touchdowns on the season, and his 30-yard reception earlier that drive put him in his historic company.
The reception gave Samuel 730 yards on the season, passing both Dave Parks (703 yards) and Gene Washington (711 yards). He trails only Jerry Rice (927 yards) for the most receiving yards by a 49ers rookie.
Despite receiving the second half kickoff, and for as great as Kyle Shanahan was (is) at dialing up dynamic plays, the first drive of the second half opened with a Tevin Coleman run. At this point, that’s a recipe that’s been proven to fail more times than it works, and after a three-and-out, the Seahawks responded with the most Seahawks touchdown you could fathom — an implausible Russell Wilson throw on the back line of the end zone to Tyler Lockett.
The 49ers’ lead, down to 13-7, quickly grew again, thanks to a three-play combination on the following drive. It opened with a 49-yard reception from Kyle Juszczyk, a 24-yard catch by Samuel two plays later, then a two-play Raheem Mostert touchdown run. A failed two-point conversion saw their lead improve to 19-7, but Seattle responded with a blast from the past, courtesy of Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch, despite looking every bit a guy who had been watching the NFL from his couch, did have a few moments (an 8-yard and 15-yard rush), with his leap into the end zone the flash of nostalgia that sent the Seattle crowd into a frenzy. It closed the San Francisco lead to 19-14 and set up a constant din for the 49ers’ next drive, though that seemed to have no effect.
That ensuing drive was as typically precise and clutch as the 49ers’ offense has been all year, and it was done with that same run-first offensive mentality that has defined this team’s success. George Kittle ran for seven yards, then Mostert ran for 13. Kittle caught a 16-yard pass, then Breida ran for six. After Mike McGlinchey missed a block on Breida’s next attempt, Garoppolo found Samuel yet again, this time for 21 yards. Mostert was again called upon, rushing again for 13 yards and finding himself in the end zone for the second time.
But the Seahawks have Russell Wilson and D.K. Metcalf, who gave Ahkello Witherspoon constant difficulty, as Samuel did to the Seahawks. Wilson connected with Metcalf for a 14-yard touchdown, making it 26-21 in the 49ers favor.
Then, Ben Garland committed one of the most egregious mistakes of the 49ers’ season, with a late personal foul after a short second down reception. The 3rd-and-17 proved one yard too much (as you will remember, the 49ers converted two 3rd-and-16s on the same drive against the Los Angeles Rams a week prior), as Mostert gained 16 yards and the 49ers had to punt.
Witherspoon was replaced by Emmanuel Moseley to help on Metcalf, but Metcalf still had the 49ers’ young corners in a bind. He converted a first down before dropping a pass, but quickly redeemed himself and did the same to Moseley as he did to Witherspoon, making a 24-yard catch down to the 49ers’ 23-yard line with 1:37 remaining.
The Seahawks drove the ball down to the 49ers’ 12-yard line with just under a minute left, needing 10 yards for a first down and 12 to win. Three plays went by, all incompletions. With 42 seconds remaining, Wilson connected with tight end Jacob Hollister for a first down. Again, three incompletions followed, and Seattle took a crucial delay of game penalty.
This, in all its minute inch-perfect glory, decided the game (plus a Jimmy Garoppolo QB sneak), 26-21 in the 49ers’ favor.
Dre Greenlaw gives #49ers first overall seed by an inch.
An absolutely all-time tackle by the rookie.
— KNBR (@KNBR) December 30, 2019
For the first time since 2011, the 49ers won in Seattle, and will take the top seed in the NFC.
