Years in the making: Thrilling win in Seattle gives 49ers top seed in playoffs
It took the 49ers two seasons of patient rebuilding since Kyle Shanahan was hired as head coach and John Lynch became general manager in 2017. It took dealing with injuries to both starting tackles, a featured pass rusher, a high-priced linebacker and starting center. It took finishing the season with five consecutive games that came down to the wire.
The prize? A division crown and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The road to the Super Bowl goes through Levi’s Stadium thanks to another dramatic 49ers victory in a big game.
Sunday’s 26-21 win was particularly sweet for San Francisco. It came at CenturyLink Field against the Seattle Seahawks, a place the 49ers hadn’t won since 2011 and, frankly, they were tired of answering questions about their inability to beat their division foes on their home field.
“It took everything,” left tackle Joe Staley said.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t throw an incompletion in the second half. The defense held the Seahawks out of the end zone on fourth-and-goal by making a tackle inches shy of the goal line with 9 seconds remaining.
Shanahan’s team throughout the entire year responded to nearly every challenge when the stakes were highest and Sunday was the latest example.
“We grew up,” tight end George Kittle said. “Last year, we don’t win that game. And a lot of that’s on our coaches, on our staff. But a lot of that is just on the players, growing up fast and that’s all you can ask for.”
The 49ers are now in prime position for a long-awaited run at a Super Bowl now that they get a week to lick their wounds from a tumultuous stretch throughout the second half of the year.
“I feel like we’ve had games like that this year,” defensive end Nick Bosa said. “But obviously this is the biggest game of the year. I thought we lost. Then I found out we didn’t.”
Dre Greenlaw comes through in clutch moment
Seattle tight end Jacob Hollister came down inches short of the goal line following a fourth-down completion in the final moments. He was hit by rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who replaced injured veteran Kwon Alexander for the last two months. The 49ers had to wait through a lengthy review, then watch Garoppolo run a quarterback sneak before celebrating their first division crown since 2012 — and their first top seed since 1997.
“To be able to finish here in Seattle, in that environment, against such a tough team, so many good players, they’re so well-coached,” Shanahan said. “That place is crazy out there. I’m real happy for our guys.”
The 49ers were given shirts to celebrate their division crown that said, “The West Is Not Enough.” Shanahan told the team during his postgame speech those shirts, along with division championship hats, wouldn’t have been possible without Greenlaw making the stop on Hollister by popping him high on the shoulder before he could break the goal line.
As Hollister came down on his left elbow and his back, the ball was inches shy of a game-winning touchdown.
“They try to widen me out and get me out in the middle of the field,” Greenlaw said. “They threw it to the tight end running across the field, and me having my eyes back and listening to what my coach was saying, I was able to help.”
Greenlaw, a fifth-round draft pick, had his most productive game of the season with 13 tackles, a quarterback hit and tackle for loss. He hasn’t quite been as good as Alexander, who signed a four-year, $14 million contract in the offseason. But Greenlaw has proven to be a quick study and, at worst, is turning into a strong third option at inside linebacker behind Alexander and second-year breakout player Fred Warner.
“As a rookie, you don’t know what to expect in this league,” Greenlaw said. “So, mentally, I just tell myself to go out there, play fast and hit. That’s why they drafted me.”
The defense that was brilliant in the first half was anything but in the second half. Led by quarterback Ruseell Wilson, the Seahawks went the length of the field on all four of their second-half possessions. They had just 79 yards before halftime and didn’t cross the 50-yard line until late in the second quarter.
After the break, they had 269 yards of offense and converted six-straight third downs.
“We should have made some more plays down the stretch and it shouldn’t have been that close,” cornerback Richard Sherman said. “But you have to give them credit, they executed.”
Russell Wilson nearly brings Seahawks back
Wilson finished with 233 yards on 25 of 40 completions with a pair of touchdown passes. He was constantly scrambling and avoiding 49ers pass rushers as coordinator Robert Saleh dialed up blitzes at a noticeably higher rate than any other game this season.
As Wilson’s magic was bringing the Seahawks back, the 49ers’ offense responded. Garoppolo was unflappable and the running game was clicking. Garoppolo finished with just four incompletions, all in the first half, while finishing with 285 yards. He didn’t throw a passing touchdown as San Francisco’s three scores came on the ground.
Two came from Raheem Mostert, who scored at least one rushing touchdown in six straight games, and another from rookie receiver Deebo Samuel, whose speed and physicality came through during the biggest game of the season.
“Deebo’s a baller,” Emmanuel Sanders said. “He’s been a baller since I got here, man. I enjoy playing with this guy. You want to talk about a guy who’s a rookie, but already scares defensive coordinators in this league. He’s going to be a special player. He’s already a special player.”
Samuel had 102 receiving yards and 33 rushing. His three 100-yard games this season are the most by any 49ers rookie in history. His 802 yards were the most by a San Francisco first-year receiver since Jerry Rice in 1985.
The 49ers made it 10-0 late in the second quarter on Samuel’s third rushing TD of the season -- an end-around to the left. It was Samuel’s second 30-yard play of the series. He received strong blocks from Sanders and fullback Kyle Juszczyk down the left sideline before spinning free as he crossed the goal line.
Near the end of the first half, Seattle tried giving it to Marshawn Lynch on fourth-and-short, but Bosa knifed into the backfield and stuffed Beast Mode for a loss.
Lynch had just 7 yards on his first four carries, with 5 coming on his first touch. He finished with 34 yards on 12 runs and a touchdown. He ultimately looked like a running back who had just come out of retirement.
Lynch began to get going in the second half with runs of 8 and 15 yards after the 49ers went three-and-out following halftime. It led to a Tyler Lockett touchdown catch on third-and-9 to cut it to a 13-7 San Francisco lead.
But the 49ers responded with a five-play scoring drive that lasted just 2:21, resulting in Mostert’s first touchdown. It was set up by a 49-yard catch from Juszczyk, who lined up in the slot against linebacker Michael Kendricks and easily beat him downfield. Kendricks wound up leaving the game with a knee injury.
But the game hinged on Greenlaw’s dramatic stop. The Seahawks were called for a delay of game after getting the ball to the 1-yard line on their final possession, which set up Greenlaw’s stop on the goal line.
It capped a stirring finish to an eventful season after expectations were tempered entering the year. The 49ers, after all, entered Shanahan’s third campaign with a 10-22 combined record.
“It’s pretty incredible,” Garoppolo said. “Especially from the start of the season, all the hearsay and everything ... to come out here and get the one seed — it’s a pretty nice feeling. It’s a step in the right direction, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
This story was originally published December 29, 2019 at 11:54 PM.
