San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle (85) celebrates his two-point conversion in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild-card playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Blowing a 10-point lead had put an end to the 49ers’ two previous playoff appearances, but not this time.
The 49ers let a 10-0 first-half lead evaporate Saturday, then they rallied to dispatch the Seattle Seahawks 41-23 in their wild-card opener.
A second-half surge allowed the No. 2-seed 49ers (14-4) to recapture the lead, their confidence, and their momentum. They’ll take an 11-game winning streak into next weekend’s divisional round, where they’ll host either the No. 2 Minnesota Vikings, the No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the No. 5 Dallas Cowboys.
It will be the Vikings if they win Sunday against the No. 6 Giants. If the Vikings lose, the Tampa Bay-Dallas winner will come to Levi’s Stadium, most likely next Sunday.
“We talk about the end game (of a Super Bowl quest), but you don’t get there unless you win one, and I’m proud of the guys that we won one today,” linebacker Fred Warner said.
The 49ers won, as expected, in only their third-ever playoff game at Levi’s Stadium, and they won comfortably on the scoreboard as their 2019 team did here twice en route to the Super Bowl.
But Saturday’s scoreboard didn’t reflect how tense things got, especially as the 49ers humbly and foolishly entered halftime trailing 17-16. The Seahawks had taken that lead – their last one – when Jason Myers booted a 56-yard field goal as the first half expired, set up by a Jimmie Ward penalty for hitting Geno Smith as he slid on a scramble with 1 second to go.
“Coming into halftime, Kyle (Shanahan) was straight up and like, ‘Hey, man, the plays were there. The opportunities were there. We have to keep it simple and get it to the guys,’” quarterback Brock Purdy said. “We knew our plan for the second half, we executed everything and we finished off drives, where we didn’t stall and overthink things.”
All went the 49ers’ way after that, however. They scored over 30 points for the eighth time in this 11-game win streak, and for the fifth time in Purdy’s six starts.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) leaves the field after leading a 41-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild-card playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel (19) breaks free on a 74-yard touchdown play in the fourth quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ Arik Armstead (91) reacts after sacking Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) in the first quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) Football fans stand during the playing of the national anthem before their NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) connects with Christian McCaffrey (23) on a 3-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of the NFC wild-card playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ Nick Bosa (97) recovers a fumble by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) in the third quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 41-23. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers fans celebrate after Nick Bosa (97) recovers a fumble by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) in the third quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 41-23. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey (23) rushes during an opening touchdown drive in the third quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Football fans begin to shield themselves from the rain before the start of the NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ Arik Armstead (91) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) in the first quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel (19) eludes a diving Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Jackson (30) in the second quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey (23) runs for yardage against the Seattle Seahawks in the first quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel (19) fails to catch a touchdown pass in front of Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Jackson (30) in the second quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) A young football fan shields himself from the rain before the start of the NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel (19) bends over in pain after having his ankle yanked by Seattle Seahawk’s Jonathan Abram in the second half of their NFC wild-card playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Officials try to break up an argument between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers after Deebo Samuel has his ankle yanked by Seattle Seahawk’s Jonathan Abram in the second half of their NFC wild-card playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) hugs his mother Carrie Purdy after defeating the Seattle Seahawks during their NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 41-23. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) walks with crutches on the sideline during their NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 41-23. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle (85) prays in the end zone before the start of their game against the Seattle Seahawks during their NFC wild-card playoff game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Anda Chu is a photojournalist for the Bay Area News Group based in the East Bay. He grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from San Francisco Sate University with a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism. He has been a staff photographer with the organization since 2000.
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