It wasn\u2019t much better in between for the 49ers. An offense that was nearly unstoppable during a six-game winning streak could generate almost nothing against the Seattle Seahawks in a 13-3 loss Saturday night that cost San Francisco a shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.<\/p>\n
Now, instead of getting a bye, home-field advantage and the chance to play the Super Bowl on their home field without taking another trip, the 49ers (12-5) will have to head on the road next week in the wild-card round after falling flat in their biggest game of the season.<\/p>\n
San Francisco will earn the fifth seed and the chance to play the 8-9 winner of the NFC South in the playoffs if the Rams lose or tie against Arizona on Sunday. The Niners will fall to the sixth seed with a trip to Philadelphia or Chicago if Los Angeles beats the Cardinals.<\/p>\n
The Niners had put themselves in this position thanks to an offense that helped the team average a league-best 35.7 points during a six-game winning streak that featured back-to-back games with at least 42 points ahead of the showdown against Seattle.<\/p>\n
But after thriving against several of the NFL\u2019s weaker defenses in recent weeks, San Francisco was outclassed by a Seahawks unit that put heavy pressure on Purdy, shut down Christian McCaffrey and the running game and used sound tackling to eliminate big plays after the catch.<\/p>\n
It added up to one of the worst offensive performances for San Francisco in nine seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan, with the three points being the fewest the team scored since a 23-3 loss to Carolina in his debut in 2017 and the 173 yards the fewest ever in a regular-season game.<\/p>\n
Purdy finished 19 of 27 for 127 yards with one interception and took three sacks. McCaffrey was held to 23 yards on eight carries and a season-low 57 yards from scrimmage.<\/p>\n
Playing without Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams and receiver Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco never got into a rhythm on offense. The 49ers started the game with back-to-back three-and-outs and then got stopped on fourth-and-1 on the next drive after finally getting a first down.<\/p>\n
The Niners got a late field goal in the first half and only trailed 10-3 at the break, but nothing changed in the second half with the team punting for a third time \u2014 one more than in three games combined in December \u2014 after failing to reach midfield on the opening drive of the third quarter.<\/p>\n
San Francisco\u2019s best chance to reach the end zone came early in the fourth quarter when it drove to the 6 and was in position to cut into a 10-point deficit. But a pass by Purdy was tipped at the line and bobbled by McCaffrey into Drake Thomas\u2019 hands<\/a> for what was essentially a game-sealing interception.<\/p>\n The Seahawks killed more than eight minutes on the ensuing drive and the 49ers\u2019 last chance ended when Purdy was drilled by Derick Hall on a failed fourth-down pass to George Kittle. Purdy was down on the turf for a bit before finally walking off the field gingerly with a stinger that Shanahan said wouldn\u2019t have kept him out of the game.<\/p>\n More on Seattle Seahawks\u2019 win<\/p>\n \u2022 Seahawks beat 49ers, clinch NFC No. 1 seed for fourth time in team history<\/a>
\u2022 Stacy Rost: Hawks show why their fatal flaw may not matter<\/a>
\u2022 Seahawks\u2019 season-long commitment to run game pays off in massive win<\/a>
\u2022 The five biggest plays that delivered Seattle Seahawks\u2019 win over 49ers<\/a><\/p>\n
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