Purdy’s four touchdowns helped the 49ers defeat the Seahawks by 41 to 23 in the playoffs
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes He ran for a fourth score during his playoff debut and led the San Francisco 49ers in a victory 41-23 over the Seattle Seahawks in Saturday’s wild-card match.
Purdy continued to play well in the regular season (14-4), and showed no signs of playoff anxiety by winning his sixth consecutive start after replacing Jimmy Garoppolo, who was injured in Week 13.
The Niners reached the divisional round, where they will play either Minnesota or Tampa Bay next weekend.
Purdy connected with a 3-yard pass to Christian McCaffrey In the first quarter, he converted a 1-yard pass to Elijah Mitchell in the third quarter to make it 31-17.
The Niners broke it when Deebo Samuel ran in for Purdy’s short pass and opened the door. a 74-yard score.
Purdy threw for 332 yards — the second most ever for a rookie in the playoffs to Russell Wilson’s 385 in a loss to Atlanta 10 years ago — and he became the first rookie QB ever to account for four TDs in a playoff game.
For most of the three quarters, the Seahawks (9-9) kept it close before going on to win. strip sack by Charles Omenihu A red zone drive was ruined in the third quarter.
Purdy hit Jauan Jennings from 33 yards to set up Mitchell’s TD pass. Purdy tied the NFL record for rookies, set by Justin Herbert, with his seventh consecutive game of multiple TD passes.
From there, San Francisco continued to grow.
The Seahawks lost to Wilson on Sunday, ending a remarkable season. They reached the playoffs the following weekend.
Geno Smith was a tremendous starter, throwing 30 TD passes throughout the regular season. The playoff game was close thanks to a few key players. 50-yard TD pass to DK Metcalf In the first half.
Smith was 25-for-35 for 253 yards, with two TDs.
After two possessions, the Niners raced to a 10-0 lead. Purdy scored on the first drive and McCaffrey followed McCaffrey’s 68-yard run on their second possession with a 3-yard pass from McCaffrey to McCaffrey.
Seattle responded with a 14-play drive, highlighted by Kenneth Walker’s 7-yard run as well as Metcalf’s deep pass.
PLAY BONEHEAD
A bonehead play made by Jimmie Ward, Niners safety, gave the Seahawks a 17-16 lead at halftime. Smith ran 9 yards to his 47 yard line with 1 second left, but Ward hit him late when he began sliding.
The San Francisco 38 received the ball and Jason Myers kicked a 56 yard field goal to make it 17-16 at intermission.
After trailing by at most 10 at the quarter’s end, Seattle became the third playoff team to lead at halftime.
INJURIES
Seahawks LB Darrell Taylor (neck painer) was out of the game in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Seahawks during the offseason
49ers: The divisional match against Minnesota, Tampa Bay, or Dallas.
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