Brock Purdy secures Niners victory in Week 17
USAT’s Joe Rivera and Chris Bumbaka take down Brock Purdy’s clutch play and elite QB performance.
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- The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 to win the NFC West.
- Seattle’s victory clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, securing a first-round bye and home-field advantage.
- The Seahawks’ defense dominated the game, holding the 49ers to just three points and 173 total yards.
It’s already been a good new year for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 on Saturday night to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC and win the NFC West title.
Seattle’s stingy defense controlled much of the game, shutting down the 49ers’ hot offense throughout the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks scored the first touchdown of the game and took a 10-3 lead into halftime.
Seattle only made one field goal in the fourth quarter, and that was the only point of the second half.
The 49ers nearly cut Seattle’s lead, but Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas intercepted a tipped pass from Brock Purdy in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks’ offense took control of the football, and a dominant performance by Seattle’s defense proved they could maintain the advantage.
With this win, Seattle clinched the NFC West title and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC playoffs.
Here are the winners and losers of the battle for the West.
winner
seahawks defense
The Seahawks held San Francisco to just three first downs and three points in the first half.
Seattle held San Francisco to 105 total yards and five first downs in the fourth quarter.
Seahawks linebacker Boi Maffet ended a promising drive for the 49ers by flipping Brock Purdy’s pass to Christian McCaffrey with his fingertips. The wobbly football floated behind McCaffrey and was picked off by Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas at Seattle’s 3-yard line with 10:27 left in the fourth quarter.
The turnover gave Seattle a 13-3 lead.
Seattle’s defense held the 49ers to 173 total yards, going 2-for-9 on third down and allowing just three points. The 49ers remained scoreless in the second half.
Brock Purdy was sacked three times and intercepted once.
The Seahawks entered Week 18 ranked in the top 10 in total defense and second in points allowed (18.1).
Jackson Smith-Njiba, Kenneth Walker III
Smith-Njiba and Walker were two of the best players on Seattle’s offensive line.
Smith-Njiba entered Week 18 with an NFL-high 1,709 receiving yards this season. The Seahawks wide receiver had a game-high six catches for 84 yards.
Walker had a productive night for the running back, rushing 16 times for 97 yards.
Seahawks, Seattle
The Seahawks will be a rested team heading into the playoffs. Seattle earned the NFC’s top seed, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs.
The road to Super Bowl 60 goes through Seattle in the NFC.
49ers alternate jersey
The 49ers debuted the Nike X NFL Rivals jersey on Saturday night. It has a sleek all-black look, featuring a midnight black helmet with a red stripe down the middle and a gold-coated face mask.
loser
jason myers
Myers missed a 47-yard field goal to the right in the second quarter and missed a 26-yard field goal into the uprights in the fourth.
The Seahawks’ kicker sometimes missed kickoffs.
It was an off night for Myers, who hadn’t missed a field goal since Week 11.
However, Seattle’s defense was so dominant that Myers’ off night didn’t have much of an impact.
49ers run defense
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III helped Seattle maintain possession with a 19-yard run on third-and-17 late in the third quarter.
The Seahawks capped off the drive with a 31-yard field goal by Myers, increasing their lead to 13-3 with 14:15 left in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers defense allowed 180 yards on the ground and one touchdown. The Seahawks averaged 4.6 yards per carry.
49ers injuries
The 49ers have dealt with injuries to key players throughout the season. The team’s ability to overcome injuries to players like linebacker Fred Warner, edge rusher Nick Bosa and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is a big reason why Kyle Shanahan is a candidate for Coach of the Year.
Star left tackle Trent Williams was inactive Saturday with a hamstring injury, and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was out with knee and ankle injuries. San Francisco was unable to overcome injuries against the powerful Seahawks.
Linebacker Dee Winters injured his ankle in the first half, and Purdy was hit late in Saturday’s game.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams, last year’s NFC West champions, got to watch what would be the NFC West title game.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TylerDragon.
