Week Twelve

49ers 31, Seattle 13

Well, we know now how Brock Purdy reacts when disaster strikes: he shrugs it off, gets back to work, and leads a 64-yard fourth-quarter drive to the clinching touchdown. 

After the 49er defense had sacked Geno Smith for the third time, early in the third quarter Sunday, Seattle had to punt trailing 24-3 and barely in the game, with almost no offense to show for it. But the Seahawks special teams downed the ball at the 49er 4-yard-line and Purdy tried to pass his way out of it. One, over the middle to Deebo Samuel, bounced off the receiver incomplete. The next, intended for Christian McCaffrey, bounced off the receiver and right into the arms of one Jordyn Brooks, who returned it for an easy  touchdown. The grumpy, muttering crowd at Century Link Field erupted with its trademark ear-shattering howl, and it was a new ballgame. 

Purdy immediately went back to the well and calmly completed two sharp passes, again right over the middle, before overthrowing George Kittle on third down. Seattle put together a six-and-a-half-minute drive-- a 34-yard Smith completion followed by ten plays that gained 43 yards and included the 49ers' fourth sack-- to a field goal and a two-score game with three minutes left in the third. The 49ers switched over to the running game, moving 30 yards but stopping short of field goal range when a crowd-aided false start killed a fourth-and-short opportunity.

Still 24-13 when Purdy got the ball back four minutes into the fourth quarter. He promptly did his "system quarterback" routine-- until he didn't. That means a short  pass followed by four pounding straight-ahead runs runs through the defense, McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell alternating, and with three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust now established, Purdy dropped back and rifled a 28-yard laser shot to Brandon Aiyuk, who caught it in stride and literally rolled into the end zone. Control re-established and game over, though there were eight minutes left to play.

Now the 49ers head into the upcoming Ultimate Showdown at Philadelphia. Somewhat surprisingly, they are slight favorites; the defending NFC champions have shown both fortitude and remarkable good fortune in recent wins that saw them outplayed. For the 49ers to outplay the Eagles this Sunday, they need to get off first, as they did in Seattle, and they need to establish a power running game in the fourth quarter, ditto. That's presuming a close game, of course. And four more sacks will certainly help!