7 takeaways, observations, standout players from 49ers loss to Seattle

6 days ago 2

We learned a lot about the San Francisco 49ers in their devastating 13-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night.

The 49ers were dominated at home, but they still had enough gas to stay within striking distance until the game's final minutes. Their hopes for the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye were dashed as Seattle grabbed the NFC West crown and the top seed in the conference. Now they'll take their banged up roster to the wild card round where they'll be on the road against an NFC division winner.

Here's what we took away Saturday:

49ers offense sputters vs. real defense

San Francisco's offense was cooking during its six-game win streak and averaged 35.7 points per game during that stretch. Then they faced one of the two best defenses in the NFL and ran into a brick wall where they didn't find the end zone and only managed three points. Brock Purdy was under siege all night. Christian McCaffrey never had room to run. And without Ricky Pearsall their passing attack was confined to a relatively small box that made chunk plays nigh impossible. This was always the worry if the 49ers ran into a team like Seattle or Philadelphia in the postseason, and now they have a distinct possibility of doing so on wild card weekend.

Brock Purdy conundrum

Purdy wasn't bad Saturday night, but some of his limitations shined through. He completed 19-of-27 passes for 127 yards and his one interception was a throw that bounced off McCaffrey's hands. For the most part he was okay and made some nice throws on a fourth-quarter drive that put San Francisco in a goal-to-go situation trailing by 10. However, his inability to create downfield throws through sheer arm strength, and his inability to navigate a messy pocket because of his size were both limiting factors for the 49ers offense Saturday. Overall it wasn't a good night for the offense, but Purdy acquitted himself well in a tough spot with no Trent Williams and no Pearsall.

49ers defense runs out of gas

It was not a good night for the 49ers defense, but they did enough to keep their team in the game. Two rare missed field goals by Seahawks kicker Jason Myers helped the score from getting out of hand. Seattle also failed to convert a fourth-and-goal from the 4 on their opening drive. There were opportunities for takeaways that didn't get converted, and it was clear down the stretch they just ran out of gas. Seattle's final drive after Purdy's interception drained 8:01 of game clock and effectively put the game away. On that drive the 49ers just didn't have the players or the juice to get over the hump and make a game-altering play.

Two plays that changed the game

The 49ers needed a big play in the third quarter to swing momentum their way, and they got an opportunity when quarterback Sam Darnold fumbled a handoff attempt. 49ers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos fell on the ball, but it bounced away from him and Seattle recovered at their own 25. Two plays later on a third-and-17, they conceded the drive by tossing to running back Kenneth Walker. Walker ran for 19 yards and a first down. The drive ended with a field goal that put Seattle up 13-3 and effectively ended the game. Had either of those plays gone differently, we may be looking at a different result.

A third play that ended the game

San Francisco managed at the start of the fourth quarter to put a drive together. Trailing 13-3, they went 64 yards on six plays with Purdy making a couple of nice throws downfield to get the 49ers inside the red zone for the first time. On second-and-goal, Purdy had McCaffrey one-on-one with a linebacker. His throw was tipped at the line, then McCaffrey couldn't handle the pass, it bounced off of his hands and into the arms of Seahawks LB Drake Thomas for a takeaway that ostensibly closed the door on any chance San Francisco had to win.

Upton Stout showed up

Stout was one player who stood out on the 49ers' defense. He came up with two really strong open-field tackles on third downs to force punts. He's been a nice third-round pick from this year's draft who has developed into a really strong piece of the 49ers' secondary.

Who do the 49ers face next?

Well... that depends! They could face either the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles or Chicago Bears. All of those things depend on how the Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints game ends, how the Bears and Eagles games each end, and then how the Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals game ends. We do know they'll certainly be on the road for Round 1, and they'll be on the road for the rest of the postseason if they manage to snag any playoff wins.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers vs. Seahawks: 7 takeaways, standout players from dreary SF loss

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