One of the NFL’s hottest head coaching candidates, Ryans, 38, has interviews scheduled with Denver and Houston and is also expected to talk with Indianapolis and Arizona.

That’s four of the five teams currently with vacancies. The Carolina Panthers are the fifth.

The 49ers learn Monday night whether they’ll host Dallas or Tampa Bay in the divisional round following a 41-23 win over Seattle in the wild-card round. Game time will be 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

Coach Kyle Shanahan is fine with Ryans planning for the future while at the same time putting everything he has into the present.

“My advice is you’ve got to set that aside and set some specific times that you are going to deal with it,” Shanahan said Monday during a conference call.

Ryans, however, didn’t have the luxury of a bye week as Shanahan did as offensive coordinator of the Falcons when he interviewed with the 49ers during the 2016 postseason.

“We got three days off, I was able to set aside two days for those interviews, I knocked ’em all out and then there wasn’t anything after that,” Shanahan said. “I completely shut it off and went back to the playoffs.”

After declining a second interview last offseason with the Minnesota Vikings, who eventually hired Kevin O’Connell, Ryans made it clear last week he was interested in going further in the process this time around.

“There’s a lot of scenarios, a lot of situations that come up throughout the year,” Ryans said. “Not just looking at it from a defensive perspective, but looking at it from a total team perspective and just being able to sit and listen to conversation that enhance my knowledge — not just on defense, but the overall. I feel really good at where I am right now.”

Shanahan said interviews with Denver and Houston are expected Thursday, with Indianapolis and Arizona likely to follow on Saturday, and that it won’t affect Ryans’ focus on either Dallas or Tampa Bay.

“Friday afternoon we get some time off, it shouldn’t cut into anything, and usually on Thursdays we finish a little earlier than we do other nights of the week so it’s a chance to do that Thursday night,” Shanahan said. “When you set aside time for that, it’s a lot for DeMeco to prepare for but I think he is prepared for it. When you’re done with those you go back to the most important thing at hand and that’s us finding a way to win on Sunday.”

Wasted prep time

At least half of the preparation done by 49ers coaches Monday will go straight to the waste basket once it’s determined Sunday’s opponent will be Dallas or Tampa Bay.

“We’ll get ahead watching a lot of film on Dallas and Tampa and we’ll have watched enough on both teams we’re just waiting on the game,” Shanahan said. “So we’ll probably just sit back and relax when that starts and watch the TV copy like a normal person and then get back to work before we start on Tuesday.”

The Purdy rebound

Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy sailed his first pass over the head of Deebo Samuel and ended the first half completing just nine of 19 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. In the second half, Purdy was 9 of 11 for 185 yards and two touchdowns.

“There were a couple of plays he just missed,” Shanahan said. “I know when that happens it sticks out. When you only have a couple of misses, you really don’t need to panic. Brock’s an accurate thrower, he’s been doing that all year and playing well. I don’t think there’s much of an explanation for it, just for us to settle down a bit and give him a few more opportunities. He got those in the second half and was pretty lethal with them.”

With the 49ers averaging 8.3 yards per snap in the first half (249 yards on 30 plays), the concern was settling for 34- and 33-yard Robbie Gould field goals rather than getting the offense in gear.

Things stabilized on the opening drive of the second half when the 49ers drove 75 yards in 13 plays to score on Purdy’s 1-yard run.

“If we keep getting field goals, then we’re going to have to be dependent on them not scoring the rest of the game to try to win, and we don’t want to have to be dependent on that,” Shanahan said. “I think coming out, first drive of the third quarter, slowing things down and going on a good drive, that was a huge deal for us and it took off from there.”

The squib kick

Almost forgotten in the 49ers avalanche was a regrettable end to the first half after Gould’s third field goal put the 49ers up 16-14 with 13 seconds to play.

Rather than kick deep, Gould’s squib kick was fielded at the 24 by Colby Parkinson and returned to the 38-yard line. Geno Smith scrambled for nine yards, Jimmie Ward hit the sliding quarterback for a personal foul, and the Seahawks ended the half with a 56-yard field goal by Jason Myers for a 17-16 lead.

The object of the squib kick was to burn additional clock time, but the end result will probably have Shanahan leaning toward kicking it deep the next time.

“It ended up being a real bad decision, I thought,” Shanahan said. “They got it at the (38) and needed just one mistake by us, one one big play by them and they’re in field goal range. And we made the mistake with that personal foul.”

Kinlaw’s surprise contribution

Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw played 30 snaps and has been a valuable piece of defensive line depth — one Shanahan said he wasn’t really counting on as the season wore on.

Kinlaw, a first-round draft pick in 2021, opened the season as the starter but was out of the lineup by Week 3 and beset by setbacks during rehab. He returned in Week 16 and has joined Arik Armstead at defensive tackle to fortify the 49ers’ in the middle.

“Everyone knows the expectations that were in Kinlaw and the huge setback he’s had with his injuries. And I really didn’t believe he was going to come back at all this year with what he’s gone through,” Shanahan said. “To get him back and add some depth to our D-line, and watch him get better each week, he’s helped us in the run game and is having an impact in the pass game.”

Injury outlook

The injury report coming out of the Seattle game was light as expected. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings and defensive end Samson Ebukam are both day-to-day with ankle injuries.

No one is going to talk about it much, for fear of the other shoe dropping to the turf after the loss of a key player.

But let’s face it: A franchise that in some years has considered itself cursed has become blessed when it comes to a factor that can make or break a season.

How blessed are the 49ers when it comes to injuries?

Have you ever heard of a team that lost two starting quarterbacks in the same season and then got better once they were replaced?

That’s right. Got better. Improved. Saw the quality of offensive play elevated to something where it wasn’t moments before.

That is no knock on Trey Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance, after a small sample size, looked as if there were some growing pains on the horizon before going out in Week 2 against Seattle with a broken ankle.

Enter Garoppolo, who finished off the Seattle game as if he hadn’t actually missed all of training camp, predictably receded in a Week 3 11-10 loss to Chicago, and then guided the 49ers to an 8-4 record before breaking his foot against Miami.

Enter Brock Purdy, and you know how that’s going after a 41-23 wild card round win over Seattle Saturday. at Levi’s Stadium.

Purdy stared down the zero-blitzing Dolphins on Dec. 4 and has been a revelation ever since not only with his ability to execute Kyle Shanahan’s offense, but with a creativity that was foreign to either of his predecessors.

Give Shanahan credit for adjusting his offense on the fly from Lance to Garoppolo and Garoppolo to Purdy. The 49ers were smart to hold on to Garoppolo in camp rather than set him free, because who knows when Purdy was actually ready to do what he’s doing now?

But a lot of it is simply good luck, and it’s spread all over the roster. The only starter lost for the season was cornerback Emmanuel Moseley with a torn ACL on Oct. 9 in Carolina. It was and is a significant loss.

That’s been the extent of it though, as injured 49ers have not only come back, but returned in top form. Going into the Seattle game, the 49ers weren’t sure if guard Aaron Banks (knee/ankle) and linebacker Dre Greenlaw (back) would be available. Banks played every snap and Greenlaw missed one.

That’s the way it’s gone for the 49ers in 2022, with a roll call of wounded players who came back to contribute:

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel: Samuel was disconsolate when taken off on a cart on Dec. 11 against Tampa Bay, thinking he was done for the year. He ended up missing three games with MCL and ankle sprains and caught six passes for 133 yards and a 74-yard touchdown against Seattle. It was his best game of the season.

Defensive tackle Arik Armstead: Missed seven games with a stress fracture near his left ankle and plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Didn’t play from Oct. 3 to Dec. 4 and has been a towering anchor at 6-foot-7, 290 pounds ever since. Mr. Inside to Nick Bosa’s Mr. Outside.

Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw: Ended last season on injured reserve with a chronically bad knee which required surgery. Went back on on I.R. after Week 3 and didn’t return until Week 16. Played 30 snaps against Seattle and recovery has been a pleasant surprise.

Offensive tackle Trent Williams: When Williams went down in Week 3 in Denver, the 49ers immediately feared the worst. But instead of an ACL sprain, Williams had a high ankle sprain. Usually a six- to eight-week injury, Williams was back after missing three games and was a first-team All-Pro for the second straight year.

Tight end George Kittle: Kittle came out of training camp with a groin strain, missed the first two games of the season and wasn’t himself upon return. But the current version of Kittle has improved steadily and is much healthier than the one who went into the playoffs a year ago. The explosion is back and he’s got a strong connection with Purdy with seven touchdown receptions in the last four regular season games.

Defensive back Jimmie Ward: The 49ers free safety joined Kittle on the sidelines with a hamstring strain to open the season. In the meantime, the 49ers signed Tashaun Gipson, who played well enough along with Talanoa Hufanga that it pushed Ward to nickel back upon return. Ward immediately broke his hand covering a kick in Week 5. He missed just one more game.

Running back Elijah Mitchell: Has been on I.R. with an MCL strain not once, but twice, and returned both times. Ability to shed tackles and produce inside is evident when healthy. Has 279 yards and averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Had a rough go on the ground against Seattle (nine carries, two yards) but caught two passes for 25 yards, one which set up a touchdown and other a 7-yard touchdown.

Offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey: A torn quadriceps cost McGlinchey the final nine games of the 2021 season as well as the postseason. The injury was serious enough he was by no means a sure thing during training camp, but he hasn’t missed a game this season, and he’s overcome a rib injury in the process.

That list doesn’t even include players such as linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and reserve lineman Colton McKivitz, both of whom had four-game stints on I.R. and are back in the fold.

Although not quite as dramatic as what’s happened with the quarterbacks, the injuries to Mitchell and Ward actually improved the team rather than detract from it.

Mitchell’s first absence helped push the 49ers toward taking a serious look at trading for Christian McCaffrey, who became the dominant offensive player down the stretch. If Mitchell was churning out yardage with Jeff Wilson Jr. in reserve, there’s no guarantee the 49ers depart with all those draft picks to bring in McCaffrey.

Of course, McCaffrey arrived with his own injury questions, having missed 22 games over the previous two years. He hasn’t missed a game.

In Ward’s case, it forced the 49ers to start Gipson alongside Talanoa Hufanga and put the veteran in a position as nickel corner to play a position where he can make more of an impact than at free safety.

Both times, adversity in the form of injury actually made the 49ers a stronger team rather than a weaker one.

Now it’s up to the 49ers to capitalize on all this good fortune.

Coaches and players rarely mention one without the other. All the matchup nightmares created by McCaffrey are duplicated by Samuel. They can both line up in the backfield, play as receivers and are interchangeable parts.

Except it hasn’t truly been that way, at least not until Saturday, when the 49ers laid waste to the Seattle Seahawks with a 41-23 win at Levi’s Stadium on the strength of a 25-6 second half with the McCaffrey-Samuel pairing in full glory.

The two are so good it seemed inevitable they’d both go off on the same day at some point. What the 49ers never envisioned was getting an assist from Seattle safety Johnathan Abram, the former Raider who lit the fuse of both Samuel and the 49ers in the third quarter with some questionable judgement.

It happened with the 49ers trailing 17-16 after quarterback Brock Purdy hit Samuel for an 18-yard completion on third-and-7 to the Seattle 16. At the end of the play, Abram grabbed hold of Samuel’s leg and twisted it, but received no flag.

It’s the kind of play Abram was known for with the Raiders — he was released by both Las Vegas and Green Bay before signing with Seattle —  taking aggression to the edge and crossing the line. It enraged coach Kyle Shanahan, Samuel and the 49ers.

“I lost my mind a little bit on that,” Shanahan said. “But I was real concerned. It looked pretty bad. It pissed our team off and you can feel our team react to that. I wish we were like that from the first play, but sometimes stuff like that motivates the guys, and it’s cool to see us rally together.”

Jonathan Abram puts some hot sauce on Deebo Samual's ankle#SEAvsSF #Seahawksvs49ers#Seahawks #FTTB pic.twitter.com/jzDtpx7l6o

— ᑭᖇO ᖴOOTᗷᗩᒪᒪ ᒍOᑌᖇᑎᗩᒪ (@NFL_Journal) January 14, 2023

Samuel, who already had displayed the kind of explosiveness that came so often a year ago, initially thought Seattle defensive back Mike Jackson was the culprit and remained on the ground to curb his own temper.

By the time Samuel rose to his feet, the 49ers were on the field en masse. The officials restored order and no penalty flags were thrown. But Abram had made a huge mistake.

Samuel called it the definition of “IGYB” or “I Got Your Back” and that “it turned our team up a notch and we just went out there and made plays.”

Linebacker Fred Warner said, “I don’t know what he was trying to achieve by doing that,” and edge rusher Nick Bosa said “Don’t poke the bear.”

But with the bear having been poked, the 49ers went on to complete a 75-yard, 13-play drive for a 23-17 lead and never trailed again. They piled on with the help of two takeaways, a strip sack by Charles Omenihu recovered by Bosa and an interception by Deommodore Lenoir.

Samuel delivered a soul-crushing 74-yard touchdown along the sideline on a short pass from Purdy with a key block from Brandon Aiyuk for a 38-17 lead.

Samuel finished with six receptions for 133 yards to go along with three rushes for 32 yards. McCaffrey, who had a 68-yard run in the first half to set up the 49ers’ first touchdown and then caught a 3-yard pass from Purdy to finish the drive, had 119 yards on 15 carries and 17 yards on two receptions.

In all, McCaffrey and Samuel combined for 26 touches and 301 yards on a day when the 49ers offense piled up 505 yards in total offense.

It was the first time Shanahan had a chance to unleash the McCaffrey-Samuel combination in all its glory, mostly because of injuries. The two played together in just six games after McCaffrey’s arrival by trade (Samuel missed four with an MCL strain) and scored touchdowns in the same game just once — a 35-7 win over Tampa Bay on Dec. 11.

If you’re a rookie quarterback like Purdy, life is good. He’d do well to have either player as a weapon and now he’s got both with the 49ers moving into the second round against an undetermined opponent.

To hear Purdy tell it, the Seahawks actually schemed the CMC-Samuel combination pretty well.

“I mean, it’s hard for a defense to stop that when you’ve got guys coming out of the backfield, going every which way and doing all the exotic things we do,” Purdy said. “Credit to Seattle. They had a great plan. At the same time, when we did get them the ball, they made plays in space.

“It’s going to be a challenge moving forward, guys are going to be drawing up stuff for Christian and Deebo but I know once they win those one-on-one matchups it’s tough for defenses.”

Like everyone else on the 49ers, Purdy felt some energy from the questionable play Abram made against Samuel.

“I mean, that’s our guy,” Purdy said. “He means so much to the team, the juice, the swagger, all that stuff. He’s down, obviously and the guy kept going and you’re like, `C’mon, let’s play clean here.’ We get into a physical game and everything, but to do that is unnecessary.

“For our team to show some emotions and show Deebo that we’ve got his back, I think we all had the right to be fired up about that. It definitely created some juice for us, some momentum, and I feel like we capitalized off it.”

Abram is now in the 49ers’ rear-view mirror, but the outlook is good for the 49ers going forward with McCaffrey and Samuel in tandem helping take the 49ers offense to another level just in time for a Super Bowl run.

The Parker Hawks faced the Cherry Creek Bruins in Colorado’s Arapahoe Youth League, and to McCaffrey, the game held an importance he didn’t understand until it was over.

“We had lost bad earlier in the year to Cherry Creek in what we called the Super Bowl,” McCaffrey told this news organization in a recent exclusive interview. “In my head, it’s a big game. It’s like a blizzard, with just parents on the sideline. My dad was coaching my older brother on another field.

“I remember my mom was there. Long story short, it comes down to the end and I tip the ball away on defense to win the game. I started crying. I’d never had an emotion like that in my life.  I was 7 years old. I didn’t even know what emotions were yet. Joy to the extent of crying? I just knew right then I wanted to do this for my life.”

Nineteen years later, the real Super Bowl beckons on Feb. 12 with McCaffrey as the versatile offensive star for the 49ers.  The road to Super Bowl LVII begins Saturday when the 49ers (13-4) host the Seattle Seahawks (9-8) at Levi’s Stadium at 1:30 p.m.

A lot of things have gone right for the 49ers to run the table on the regular season after a 3-4 start, but none are bigger than the Oct. 20 trade with the Carolina Panthers that brought the former Stanford star back to the Bay Area.

Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch served notice they were all-in for a run at the title when they shipped a sizable chunk of draft capital (second-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024) to Carolina in exchange for McCaffrey.

After playing a bit part in a 44-23 loss to the Chiefs two days after arriving, McCaffrey became a featured back the following week against the Los Angeles Rams. He rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown, caught eight passes for 55 yards and a touchdown and even threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk.

The 49ers haven’t lost since.

McCaffrey has scored 10 touchdowns during the 10-game win streak, rushed for 749 yards on 159 carries and caught 52 passes for 464 yards with the 49ers.  When you add in his pre-trade Carolina numbers, he’s having one of his best seasons since being the No. 8 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Given McCaffrey’s injury history — he missed 22 games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons after heavy use in 2018-19 — there wasn’t anything close to acclamation for the 49ers’ deal when it was made.

There was never doubt, however, about McCaffrey’s willingness to work and prepare. Teammates at every stop consider it legendary – traits born of an emphasis on school and multiple sports with four boys who all went on to play college football.

Ed McCaffrey played at Stanford and 12 years in the NFL with the Giants, 49ers and Broncos. Lisa McCaffrey, Ed’s wife, was a soccer player at Stanford. Her father was an Olympic sprinter.

Lynch, a teammate of Ed McCaffrey at Stanford, saw the dynamic up close when he and his family were invited to a McCaffrey barbecue after he joined the Denver Broncos in 2004. The McCaffrey boys – Max, Christian, Dylan and Luke ranged in age from 10 to 5. They were well-mannered but also hyper-competitive.

Lynch’s son Jake, who later played football at Stanford, grew up with three sisters and was in no way prepared for the McCaffrey experience during playtime.

“When it was time for dinner, Eddie and I went to get them, and Jake looked like he had seen a ghost,” Lynch said. “I said, ‘Jake, what’s going on buddy?’ He said, ‘Dad, they’re killing each other!’ It was dog-eat-dog.”

Christian went on to be one of the most celebrated high school athletes in the Denver area at Valor Christian in nearby Highlands Ranch and accepted a scholarship to Stanford like his father. David Shaw, the Stanford coach and a teammate of both Ed McCaffrey and Lynch at the school, learned quickly that McCaffrey’s special gifts included rocket fuel in terms of competitive nature.

When Stanford assistant Tavita Pritchard went on a recruiting visit for a Valor game, he called Shaw and told him he’d just seen a player who got mad every time he was tackled.

“He didn’t think anyone should be able to tackle him,” Shaw said. “His parents taught the kids to be the best kids they could be, to do well in school and compete like crazy. It’s a competitive family. But there’s also some nature in there. This guy’s a killer. He’s not faking it. He’s not putting it on. It’s just who he is.”

While Christian jokes “we were bred to play football,” in reality the boys were urged to play all sports growing up.

“He played football, basketball, baseball and lacrosse. He ran track. Played soccer at a real young age. Lisa was his coach when he was 3, 4 and 5,” Ed McCaffrey said in a phone interview. “He would fall in love with whatever sport he was playing at the time, but I think football was always his true love.”

But while Christian had varied interests, he wasn’t always open to new ideas.

“When Christian loves something, he’s all-in. That’s true in sports, it’s true in the classroom, it’s true in life,” Ed McCaffrey said. “But if he’s not interested in something, it’s like pulling teeth to get him to participate. He knew we wouldn’t allow him to play sports if he didn’t do well in the classroom, but he was miserable if it was a topic he didn’t care about.”

As a youth, Christian began piano lessons and was having none of it. The idea was aborted. But lo and behold, when a neighbor Christian’s age moved in and played the piano, his interest was piqued.

Maybe it was, as Christian later said, he was told “piano players get the girls.” Or that he realized he could play without the tedium of learning to read music. Either way, McCaffrey was hooked.

“He became obsessed with the piano,” Ed McCaffrey said.

Even where playing the piano was concerned, all roads led back to football.

“I started to develop a realization that piano is a lot like running back in a way,” McCaffrey said. “I can’t read music, so I just kind of listen to the sound and there’s a lot of synching and coordination with your brain and your body and reacting to noises the same way as a running back. You’re reacting constantly.”

The piano McCaffrey purchased remains behind in his Charlotte home and he said he doesn’t have a keyboard in his Bay Area residence. He’s all-in on football, every minute of every day. He has a famous girlfriend, Olivia Culpo, who is a former Miss USA, but even that is kept, as Lynch said, “low key.”

Besides the physical gifts, it is McCaffrey’s total immersion into football that makes him special.

“You look at the top golfers, the top tennis players, they’re all people who didn’t just start doing it in high school,” Shanahan said. “They’re usually guys who have been obsessed with it at a young age.”

Shanahan said McCaffrey and Nick Bosa, the 49ers star defensive end, are similar in the way they basically set up their life to maximize their ability to play football and achieve greatness.

“I’ve never been around a guy who cares more about performing,” Bosa said. “It’s literally his livelihood, and adding a guy like that to the team, especially at a position that is super important in Kyle’s offense, was a very important addition.”

When McCaffrey arrived in Santa Clara and needed to learn the offense as soon as possible, he was set up with quarterback Brock Purdy, at the time the backup to Jimmy Garoppolo.

“He wanted me to read every single play. He would say where he’s lining up, what he’s doing, his assignment,” Purdy said. “To see how fast he learned when he got here and how fast he knew our playbook was crazy to see. He’s so serious with everything he does. I’m thinking, ‘Man, this is what greatness looks like. This is why he is the way he is.’ “

Yet McCaffrey has gradually shown his humorous side as he’s gotten to know his teammates, zinging fullback and Harvard grad Kyle Juszczyk last week.

“It is wild to have a Stanford guy and a Harvard guy in the backfield at the same time, I don’t know if that’s ever happened before,” McCaffrey said. “I have to talk slow.”

McCaffrey displays virtually no pretense or sense of celebrity, to which he credits a home life that wouldn’t allow it and brought a sense of perspective to go with his football obsession.

“I’ve never looked at anyone as more important than anyone else,” McCaffrey said. “I come from a family that if you were to do that, they’ll humble you pretty quick. Plus this game is very humbling. It takes constant work to be great and you never have it all figured out.

“I mean, we play football for a living. If I go into a quantum physics class, I’m no longer the celebrity there. I’m an idiot.”

The 49ers (13-4) are a prohibitive favorite Saturday against a team that barely had a winning record, a veteran quarterback who is respected if not feared, and are playing at Levi’s Stadium on what is expected to be a sloppy track.

Few are giving the Seattle Seahawks (9-8) much of a chance in the first game of the NFL’s wild-card round. The Seahawks, whopping 10-point underdogs, are a gnat on the windshield against a team that fought and scraped its way into the NFC Championship Game a year ago and is much better a year later.

“I just think we’re playing at a higher level, really, whether it’s offense or defense,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said Wednesday. “Our defense is No 1 the entire season. That helps a lot. We’re plus-13 in the turnover battle which is the most important thing in football. That was big for us. Our offense right now is just making plays, whether it’s running backs, fullbacks, tight ends, receivers.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan is pushing aside talk of being the favorite in favor of a second meeting on Dec. 15 when the Seahawks ended up within 21-13.

“I look at all games as equal. I know we’re favored,” Shanahan said Thursday. “I know what people say, but this is the NFL and this is the playoffs and the last time we played it came down to the last possession. I expect it to be the same.”

Shanahan would be in the minority.

If the Seahawks are nervous about walking the plank, they’re doing a good job hiding it. When a reporter began a question about being underdogs to coach Pete Carroll, the longtime coach deadpanned, “We’re underdogs?”

Carroll, 71 years young, was spotted riding a scooter through team headquarters. Players were loose and relaxed, enjoying the idea that nothing is expected but everything is for the taking. If the Seahawks lose, there’s a collective shrug in the Northwest and the knowledge they lost playing with house money.

But if the 49ers lose, it’s a train wreck the likes of which has been seen only one other time in franchise history. It would be analyzed, parsed and dissected for years, a reference point forever about the pitfalls of taking something for granted.

Futures would be affected for both players and coaches as retribution.

“This is not a fairytale,” Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said. “This is real life.”

In real life, sometimes the football can take funny bounces.

Nothing has ever gone more sideways when it mattered for the 49ers more than Jan. 9, 1988:

Final score: Minnesota Vikings 36, 49ers 24.

A team with a postseason history like the 49ers has plenty of difficult playoff losses, with those against the Cowboys, Giants and Packers coming to mind. But those were all championship-caliber opponents. Jimmy Johnson and Troy Aikman. Bill Parcells and Lawrence Taylor. Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre.

Losing was always a possibility.

The Vikings were criticized for “backing in” to the playoffs at 8-7 and needed a 44-10 win against New Orleans the wild-card round for the right to get blown out in the second round by the 49ers.

The 49ers were 13-2 in the strike-shortened season and won their last three games by a combined 124-7. Ranked No. 1 in scoring and No. 3 in scoring allowed. They had Joe Montana, Roger Craig, Jerry Rice, Brent Jones and Ronnie Lott. Charles Haley was in his second season.

Rice caught 22 touchdown passes in a 15-game season, losing out on the MVP vote to John Elway only because he and Montana split the vote.

Then journeyman quarterback Wade Wilson began connecting with Anthony Carter, Montana struggled, and the Vikings took control and never let up. Carter caught 10 passes for 227 yards in the mud and ran once from scrimmage for 30 yards while the 49ers spun their wheels. Wilson was 20 of 34 for 298 yards and two touchdowns and one interception.

Montana was pulled for the first time ever for non-injury reasons by coach Bill Walsh after having a pass intercepted by Najee Mustapha and returned 45 yards for a touchdown before halftime, at which point the 49ers trailed 20-3.

Steve Young rallied the 49ers in the second half, but they could never catch up. They were beaten to the punch from beginning to end.

Rice caught just three passes for 28 yards, which was less than the four catches for 39 yards by a Minnesota running back named Allen Rice.

Even without the boost of social media shockwaves reverberated throughout the Bay Area. In 55 playoff games since 1970, the 49ers have been double-digit favorites five times and the Vikings game remains the only loss.

Walsh later told NFL Films he was humiliated and that the Minnesota game was “the most traumatic experience I’ve had in sports.” Walsh feared he might be fired, but DeBartolo instead stripped him of his club presidency.

“It had repercussions throughout our organization for months to come,” Walsh said.

If DK Metcalf can jump and catch against the occasionally suspect 49ers deep secondary like Carter, Smith assumes the Wade Wilson role and Kenneth Walker III gets going on the ground, who knows? What if Deebo Samuel is rusty, Christian McCaffrey is held relatively in check and Brock Purdy finally looks like a rookie?

What happened against Minnesota has no direct impact on Saturday and is no more than a history lesson. Unless of course, the 49ers lose, and then it’s a sports disaster the likes of which the franchise hasn’t seen in 35 years.

The good news is after the Minnesota loss, the 49ers ended up getting back in the saddle and winning a pair of Super Bowls following the 1989 and 1990 seasons.

Which will be of no comfort if a promising season goes off the rails against a decided underdog.

It’s not a stretch to suggest the game will turn on which one has the better day when the 49ers (13-4) host the Seattle Seahawks (8-8) at Levi’s Stadium.

Neither 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy nor Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III was a first-round draft pick. Purdy, of course, was the final selection in the seventh round, No. 262 overall. Walker didn’t have to wait nearly as long, with Seattle taking the Michigan State back in the second round at No. 41.

Both have generated some buzz for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Although Purdy was the ProFootballTalk.com choice for Offensive Rookie of the Year, he likely won’t get more than also-ran notice for the official Associated Press award given that he’s made (and won) just five starts and played a major role in another win.

But four of his games were good enough to be named Thursday the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Month award for December, making him the first 49er to achieve that honor.

Purdy is brushing aside all talk of individual honors with a playoff game coming up.

“I don’t try to get wrapped up in any of that kind of stuff,” Purdy said Wednesday. “I’ve got to win. As good as a team as we have, I’ve got to come in and do my job and let everything else fall into place. Whoever wins it, great. I’m just trying to be where my feet are at.”

Heading into the finale, Walker told reporters roughly the same thing.

“I feel like I’m hitting a stride, but I’m just staying focused on the team and not individual accolades,” Walker said.

Walker stands with wide receivers Garrett Wilson of the New York Jets and Chris Olave of New Orleans in a race without a clear-cut favorite. The AP award is voted on by a panel of 50 sports media members and concluded Tuesday, with selectors ranking three candidates in a weighted system. The winner won’t be announced until NFL Honors Night the weekend of the Super Bowl.

Awards are nothing new to Walker, who won both the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back and the Walter Camp Award as the national player of the year after his junior year at Michigan State. After transferring from Wake Forest, Walker gained 1,636 yards with the Spartans before coming out for the draft.

Purdy has already made a couple All-Rookie teams at quarterback (PFF, Pro Football Journal) over Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, having completed 67.1 percent of his passes (114 of 170) for 1,374 yards and 13 touchdowns with four interceptions. He’s been the picture of poise since taking over after Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot on Dec. 4

“That’s why this draft stuff is an inexact science, Seattle defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt told reporters. “He doesn’t get fazed or rattled, is cool and collected in the pocket, he can rely on the run game and the players around him and has executed at a high level since he’s been in there.”

Walker closed with a rush to finish with 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns and joined Curt Warner as the only two rookie running backs to gain 1,000 yards in Seattle history.

He has 100-plus yards in his last three games — the last two of which the Seahawks had to win to stay in the postseason race. Walker had 78 carries for 354 yards over the last three games, and Seattle coach Pete Carroll would like nothing better than to load Walker up with another 25-plus on Saturday.

Arriving as a lateral-cut runner along the lines of Le’Veon Bell, Walker has flourished since heeding a directive from Carroll at halftime of a Week 16 loss to Kansas City. With 16 yards on nine carries in the first half against the Chiefs, Carroll challenged Walker to cut less and be more aggressive. He had 91 yards on 17 carries in the second half and more than 100 yards in each of the last two games.

Not a major factor in either regular-season game against the 49ers, Walker carried four times for 10 yards in Week 2 and 12 times for 47 yards in Week 15 after sitting out a week with an ankle injury.

The 49ers’ top-ranked defense includes giving up just  77.7 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry on the ground, the best figures in the league.

The Seahawks’ path to victory, along with winning the turnover battle, would entail winning in two areas that the 49ers consider their strength — running the ball and stopping the run.

Stopping the run would be forcing Purdy to to pass more frequently. He’s thrown more than 30 passes only twice, going 25 of 37 for 210 yards off the bench against Miami and 22 of 35 for 284 yards in an overtime win against the Raiders.

Purdy started the second game against Seattle on a Thursday night with an oblique strain that almost prevented him from playing. After having barely thrown the ball on a short week, he was 17 of 26 for 217 yards and two touchdowns the night the 49ers wrapped up the NFC West.

“I had the whole rib thing going on,” Purdy said. “I feel a lot better. I’m excited about that, but I was definitely hurting for that game.”

Left tackle Trent Williams and fullback Kyle Juszcyk were first-team selections, with edge rusher Nick Bosa and off-ball linebacker Fred Warner named to the defensive team. Union president J.C. Tretter said a list of the voting results of the top five players at each position would be announced “in the coming weeks.”

The 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs were the only teams to have four players selected.

Voting procedures were as follows:

— Only active players were eligible to vote and they got one vote.

— Players who missed five or more games were ineligible in hopes of avoiding “reputation” picks as opposed to those players who contributed throughout the season.

— Players could not vote for themselves or their own teammates, and could only vote for the position group they line up and play against. For example, centers could only vote for the best center, nose tackle, interior defensive lineman and off-ball linebacker.

Named as a first-team All-Pro on the Associated Press team for the first time last year, Williams arrived by trade to replace the departed Joe Staley and has only enhanced his credentials as a possible Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate down the road. He missed three games with a high ankle sprain sustained in Week 2.

Juszczyk has been selected to the last seven Pro Bowls as one of the few fullbacks used extensively in the league, the last six of which were with the 49ers. He has 19 receptions for 200 yards and a touchdown and seven rushes for 26 yards and a touchdown. Targeted in free agency to be a key piece in the 49ers’ offense in 2017, has played 50 percent of the 49ers’ offensive snaps.

Bosa, a favorite for this year’s Defensive Player of the Year, leads the NFL with 18 1/2 quarterback sacks. He has 48 quarterback hits, 19 tackles for losses and is considered a stout run defender to go along with his pass-rushing prowess.

Warner, listed as a middle linebacker for the 49ers but an “off-ball” linebacker for purposes of the Players team, leads the 49ers with 130 tackles. He has an interception, three tackles for loss and is considered the unquestioned leader of the NFL’s top-ranked defense.

OFFENSE

Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City

Running back: Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas

Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk, 49ers

Wide receiver: Justin Jefferson (Minnesota), Davante Adams (Las Vegas)

Tight end: Travis Kelce (Kansas City)

Left tackle: Trent Williams (49ers)

Left guard: Joel Bitonio (Cleveland)

Center: Jason Kelce (Philadelphia)

Right guard: Zack Martin (Dallas)

Right tackle: Lane Johnson (Philadelphia)

DEFENSEEdge rusher: Nick Bosa (49ers), Myles Garrett (Cleveland)

Interior defensive lineman: Chris Jones (Kansas City), Aaron Donald (L.A. Rams)

Nose tackle: Dexter Lawrence (N.Y. Giants)

Off-ball linebacker: Fred Warner (49ers), Roquan Smith (Baltimore)

Cornerback: Patrick Surtain II (Denver), Darius Slay (Philadelphia)

Free safety: Minkah Fitzpatrick (Pittsburgh)

Strong safety: Derwin James (L.A. Chargers)

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kick returner: Cordarrelle Patterson (Atlanta)

Punt returner: KaVontae Turpin (Dallas)

Core teamer: Jeremy Reeves (Washington), Justin Hardee (N.Y. Jets)

Kicker: Jason Myers (Seattle)

Punter: Tommy Thompson (Kansas City)

Long-snapper: Morgan Cox (Tennessee)

Of all the transactions engineered by coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to build the 2022 49ers, it was an afterthought that has helped them build a 10-game win streak and a 13-4 record, good for the No. 2 seed in the NFL playoffs.

There has been a buzz surrounding Brock Purdy, the 49ers’ No. 3 quarterback and the final player taken in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. But Purdy has done more than create a buzz. He has taken a team loaded with talent and made that talent even better.

That much was in evidence Sunday as the 49ers closed out the regular season with a 38-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals. In an NFL season that has 68 different players start at quarterback, Purdy’s ascension probably isn’t getting the kind of attention it deserves.

Against the Cardinals, Purdy completed 15 of 20 passes for 178 yards and three touchdowns. He came in off the bench on Dec. 4, led the 49ers to a win over the Miami Dolphins and has played so well in his subsequent five starts that you almost take him for granted.

And let’s face it, the 49ers had no idea Purdy was capable of anything like this. If they did, they would have picked him earlier. To their credit, they did see enough to determine Purdy should stick around as No. 3 instead of veteran Nate Sudfeld, to whom they had paid a $2 million guarantee.

You can make the argument that Purdy has been lifted by a superior supporting cast and to some extent that’s true. Purdy admits his teammates are so good he doesn’t feel the same kind of pressure he did while running the show at Iowa State.

“I’ve got so many playmakers around me I don’t feel I have all the weight of the world on my shoulders to make something up,” Purdy said. “Kyle calls a great game plan, I just go through my progression, throw checkdowns to guys like Christian (McCaffrey) and Deebo (Samuel) and they make guys miss. I’ve just got to distribute it to guys and they come up with all the yards.”

But what Purdy is doing is not that easy. Not even close. He’s completed 114 of 170 passes (67.1 percent) for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s had at least two touchdown passes in each start. He had three against the Cardinals, one to McCaffrey and two more to George Kittle.

When the 49ers sputtered in the first half, it was Purdy who helped pull them out of it.

“I try not to be a rah-rah guy but say something at the right moments in the game,” Purdy said. “I’m hard on myself so it starts with myself. I had to do my part and be better early on before I could say something to somebody else. That’s really how today went.”

Kittle, who has caught seven touchdown passes from Purdy in the last four games after never having more than six in a season until now, loves the confidence of his quarterback.

“When a quarterback comes in the huddle and you can sense his confidence, it raises the level of play of everyone else in the huddle with his voice,” Kittle said. “He gets your attention whether it’s a walkthrough, a practice or a game. Not everybody has that.”

Middle linebacker Fred Warner has been fielding questions about Purdy for weeks and isn’t sure people comprehend the magnitude of what’s happening. On a team with veteran stars Kittle, Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Kyle Juszczyk and Trent Williams, Purdy has become the band leader making sure everyone else is hitting the right notes.

“It’s amazing that a rookie is able to come in with such poise and confidence and lead that group,” Warner said. “I’m surprised people aren’t talking about it more, to be honest. It’s something that’s incredible for Mr. Irrelevant to lead the team we have into the postseason and now try to earn a Super Bowl, and we have full confidence in achieving that with him. It’s truly impressive to see the guys around him taking their games to the next level.

“The way George has been playing, Christian, Brandon, the list goes on and on. It’s Elijah Mitchell’s first game back and he gets two touchdowns.”

Fingertip catch for the TD! @gkittle46

: #AZvsSF on FOX
: NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/OqwCvI9Mnd

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 8, 2023

The 49ers were intrigued after the Dolphins game in that Miami attempted to zero-blitz Purdy into oblivion and he instead made big throws with defenders in his face.

“You kind of knew you had a guy,” Kittle said. “He’s made great throws. He’s been super smart with the ball. He’s quick, gets out of a lot of rushes and keeps his eyes up the field. Ever since the Dolphins game, it was like, ‘OK Brock, just be you.’ “

Purdy has taken to Shanahan’s hyper-critical style. Regardless of the margin of victory, Shanahan is a guy who puts mistakes under a magnifying glass and doesn’t spend a lot of time patting his players on the back for a job well done.

Shanahan was irked when Purdy took an unnecessary sack Sunday and no doubt found plenty of fodder for Monday’s film study.

“Brock did good things, had some plays he missed too,” Shanahan said. “He’s playing solid. He’s one of the reasons we’ve been doing this well for the last month or so.”

Shanahan said this without a trace of wonderment, as if the 49ers could have fully expected their third-string quarterback to come to rescue when Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo were lost to injury.

No rookie quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl, let alone the last player taken in the draft. It’s impossible to listen to anyone on the 49ers who doesn’t think Purdy is fully capable of being the first.

Purdy, of course, seems wise beyond his years in anticipating the playoff crush. Mitchell and Samuel are back and the 49ers’ offense is rolling. There’s no guarantee of success next weekend, however, without properly preparing during the week.

“We’re at the point where the regular season is over and the tournament starts,” Purdy said. “Every single day is vital in terms of getting better and understanding what our opponent is going to be doing. It matters.”

Do you believe it yet? The 49ers do.

Not just playing football, with the seventh-round rookie from Iowa State having won four games as a starter after first coming off the bench on Dec. 4 to lead the 49ers to victory against the Miami Dolphins.

The football part is evident by virtue of a 66 percent completion rate (99-for-150), 1,196 yards passing, 10 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 101.4 passer rating.

Purdy, who just turned 23, can also handle the interview game, where he comes off each week as honest, serious, sincere and willing to engage the media without lapsing into tired cliches and looking as if he’d rather be anywhere else.

The guy nobody figured would be starting for the 49ers (12-4) will face his home state team Arizona (12-4) Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers can solidify the No. 2 seed in the playoffs or even ascend to No. 1 should the New York Giants’ reserves send Philadelphia to its third straight loss. Purdy met with the media Thursday and continued to give a little of himself without sounding like a rookie.

Here were the highlights:

1. Purdy likes critical coaching

Coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t like to waste a lot of time with platitudes when he can be making corrections. Purdy likes it that way.

“Throughout my career of playing football, I’ve always wanted the truth and honesty from a coach, from the guy who’s trusting me to go out and play. That started since I was little playing ball. In terms of a coach telling you everything’s all good, I’m not about that. You can’t get better from that.”

At the same time, there were instances at Iowa State when Purdy was too self-critical, more than any coach would be.

“Going into my junior year, I feel like I was really hard on myself in terms of wanting to be perfect and I was hard on myself that I feel like it almost became a detriment . . . I have to have a clean slate in a clear mind in what I’m doing.”

2. How a baseball background benefitted his playing style

Listed at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, Purdy can throw the ball at different arm angles to complete passes. He’s had more than one sidearm throw which has found it mark.

It’s no coincidence that Purdy played baseball as a youth all the way up through his sophomore year of high school. He explained that baseball in Arizona where he grew up was a year-round thing and football needed all of his attention.

“I played middle infield growing up and then towards the end, I played third base and I pitched. But the arm angles, having a base as a thrower, all that kind of stuff, I definitely feel it helped me to where I’m at now, especially with the quick game and throwing around defensive ends, so that’s definitely a credit to baseball.”

This sidearm throw from Brock Purdy to Brandon Aiyuk with a defender in front of him has been living rent free in my head pic.twitter.com/QQAcySzhkl

— Christian (@ChristianR_Vill) December 27, 2022

3. The second-to-last organization Purdy’s father played with was the San Francisco Giants

Shawn Purdy was a 6-foot, 205-pound right-handed pitcher out of the University of Miami. One of his later stops as an eight-year minor league pitcher was with the Giants organization, where he played two seasons for Double-A Shreveport and one season for Triple-A Phoenix.

With the Giants, Purdy was 21-10 in those three seasons and had a minor league record of 58-37.

“It’s part of his story and where he played, so he knows some of the guys that ended up going to the big leagues for the San Francisco Giants. He has some people that he knows and connections, but it’s cool to see that I ended up here in terms of the organization the played for too in his career. Little things like that I feel you can appreciate as a family.”

4. Why facing Arizona Sunday in the final regular season game is significant

A native of Queen Creek, Arizona and graduate of Perry High, Purdy was the 2017 Arizona Cardinals High School Player of the Year and the 2016 Arizona Cardinals Offensive Player of the Year.

“I went to a number of games growing up and they’re my home state team. A lot of our family and friends from where we’re at are all Cardinal fans, so it’s pretty cool, surreal, but at the same time, I’m at the point in my life where it’s another team I have to go up against and I’m not trying to make it more than what it is.”

That will be a little harder to pull off should the 49ers advance to Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12. The game is in Glendale, Arizona.

5. He’ll be the last starting quarterback faced by future Hall of Fame defensive lineman J.J. Watt

Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the year with Houston and Arizona, is calling it career after 12 seasons. Watt has 10 1/2 sacks this season — his first time in double digits with 2018 — and 112 1/2 for his career.

Could the final sack of his career come against Purdy?

I definitely respect him with everything he’s done in his career. My mentality for this game is I have to go in and just do my job, what the coach is asking of me. I’m not trying to think of anything outside of that or make it more than what it is. But he’s definitely a factor in the game and we have to do our part to make sure we put up points, get first downs and not have to worry about J.J.”

The 49ers coach was direct but not overly flowery. Sensitive to something so serious and catastrophic happening on the field of the sport he’s dedicated his life to without being overwhelmed by it.

There is no coaches’ handbook for dealing with something so serious playing out on a national stage, the same as there is no one way to process shock and grief. Rather than gather everyone together as one, the 49ers met with their position groups with clinicians on hand to answer individual questions as well as deal with wives and significant others seeking information and reassurance.

It was back to business but not business as usual.

“That’s real rough, it’s real sad,” Shanahan said during his regular press briefing. “But you’ve got work too. So that’s what guys do, and you’ve got to be there for each other and I really hurt for (Buffalo) specifically because of knowing how many guys have such close relationships there.”

It was a good seven minutes before anyone broached a subject other than Hamlin, who remains in a Cincinnati hospital in critical condition after experiencing cardiac arrest after making a tackle of the Bengals’ Tee Higgins Monday night.

It helps that what little information has come out regarding Hamlin’s condition has been optimistic in tone, but it was still a jarring sight that players are working through in their own minds.

At least there’s a sense of hope that wasn’t a part of off-field NFL tragedies of past years that didn’t play out during a game on live television — the drunken driving arrest last season by the Raiders’ Henry Ruggs that took the life of an innocent woman and her dog; the murder-suicide involving the Chiefs’ Jovan Belcher in 2012; the shooting death of Denver cornerback Darrent Williams the day after the 2007 season when he played for Shanahan’s father Mike Shanahan.

That Kyle Shanahan would successfully navigate a sensitive situation shouldn’t come as a surprise, given all the 49ers have accomplished under his watch in 2022. There is good reason to believe his team has the perspective and professionalism to finish the regular season Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium with a 10th straight win and one of the top two seeds in the NFC.

Coaches at the NFL level aren’t always the most well-adjusted people. They know little of the outside world during the season, sacrifice a lot in terms of their family and pore over minutia for hours that would make the eyes of most anyone else glaze over in a trance.

But as awful as the Hamlin situation is, it’s been good to see NFL coaches handling it with their teams with compassion with their own teams as well as the Bills and Bengals. It’s real life and a far cry from the tired war analogy “next man up.”

As pointless as the games may seem, things will get back to normal. There will be playoff games and people will watch in record numbers. And when the ‘tournament’ as Shanahan calls it is ready to begin, it should be apparent that the 49ers’ 43-year-old coach is having his best year.

Shanahan and GM John Lynch have assembled a championship-level team and worked through some early-season adversity, the kind of adversity that seems insignificant when compared to real hardship but was a big deal at the time.

Their quarterback of the future, Trey Lance, went out in Week 2 with a broken ankle, and the 49ers were wise enough to keep Jimmy Garoppolo around to the point where he came back aboard as a backup and assumed the starting role.

Garoppolo had a poor first start in Denver, stepped out of the end zone for a safety and small minds wondered why Jimmy G was smiling with former teammates afterward. Garoppolo broke his foot and gave way to Brock Purdy, who has been a revelation as the final pick of the draft.

That meant Shanahan had to recalibrate the offense back to Garoppolo and then once more for Purdy to include the rollouts and bootlegs that suit his skill set.

There was speculation that perhaps the loss of longtime assistant Mike McDaniel to the Miami Dolphins as head coach left Shanahan unable to work his usual offensive magic.

When Christian McCaffrey arrived via trade, Shanahan had the perfect runner/receiver for his offense. The 49ers, who have been stout all season defensively with the exception of two games, haven’t lost since.

Since the NFL’s Coach of the Year usually goes to someone who turned around a losing team, Shanahan isn’t likely to get a lot of support. Brian Daboll of the Giants fits the prototype.

But it’s worth stepping back and admiring the job Shanahan has done in building a team that has answered every challenge. He can be exacting, demanding and blunt with a touch of sarcasm mixed in, but he picks players who respond well to criticism and don’t need to be coddled.

“When you have guys that want to be coached and you don’t need to tell them 10 compliments before you tell them a coaching point, then it’s a lot more fun and I think that’s how they get better,” Shanahan said.

Whether the 49ers can finish things off in a way that allows Shanahan to join the Bill Walsh-George Seifert club as a champion remains to be seen. He’ll get crushed in some quarters if it doesn’t happen. But it’s hard to imagine the 49ers in better hands.