SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Once the game started, the San Francisco 49ers were unable to build a one-point lead in the first quarter. It ended with Brock Purdy falling on his back after taking a hard hit on an incompletion on his fourth at-bat.
The 49ers’ situation isn’t much better. An offense that had been nearly unstoppable during its six-game winning streak came up short against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night in a 13-3 loss that cost San Francisco a chance at the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
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Now, the 49ers (12-5) will have to play on the road in next week’s wild-card round instead of getting a bye, home-field advantage and the chance to play the Super Bowl at home after a lackluster performance in the biggest game of the season.
If the Rams lose or tie Arizona on Sunday, San Francisco will receive the fifth seed and a chance to play the 8-9 winner of the NFC South in the playoffs. If Los Angeles defeats the Cardinals, the Niners will drop to the sixth seed with a trip to Philadelphia or Chicago.
The Niners are able to get there because their offense has helped the team average a league-high 35.7 points during their six-game winning streak and scored at least 42 points in two straight games before the game against Seattle.
But after playing against several weaker defenses in the NFL in recent weeks, San Francisco was beaten by a Seahawks unit that put tremendous pressure on Purdy, stopped Christian McCaffrey and the running game, and eliminated big plays with great tackles after the catch.
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It was one of San Francisco’s worst offensive performances in nine seasons under head coach Kyle Shanahan, with three points the team’s fewest since a 23-3 loss to Carolina in their 2017 debut and 173 yards the fewest in regular season history.
Purdy went 19-of-27 for 127 yards, one interception and three sacks. McCaffrey rushed eight times for just 23 yards and had a season-low 57 yards from scrimmage.
San Francisco never got into a rhythm on offense without Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams and receiver Ricky Pearsall. The 49ers opened the game with three straight three-and-outs, then were stopped on fourth-and-1 on their next drive after finally getting a first down.
The Niners got a field goal late in the first half to trail just 10-3 at halftime, but nothing changed in the second half, punting for the third time — more than in three December games combined — after the team failed to reach midfield on the opening drive of the third quarter.
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San Francisco’s best chance to get into the end zone came early in the fourth quarter, when they entered the sixth quarter and were looking to cut the deficit to 10 points. But Purdy’s pass was tipped at the foul line and McCaffrey tipped the ball to Derek Thomas for what was essentially a game-defining interception.
The Seahawks wasted more than eight minutes on the ensuing drive, and the 49ers’ last chance ended when Purdy was exploited by Derick Hall on a failed fourth-down pass to George Kittle. Purdy lay on the turf for a while before finally carefully walking off the field with a stinger that Shanahan said wouldn’t keep him out of the game.
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