SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers took little time to establish that they are the dominant team in the NFC West.
Now after a convincing 31-13 win at Seattle on Thursday night that gave the 49ers a stranglehold on the division race, they can start turning their focus to next week's long-awaited rematch at Philadelphia with a chance to close in on the top seed in the NFC.
“We’re going to enjoy this one,” quarterback Brock Purdy said after the game. “We’re going to take the next couple days to recover, clear our minds, whatnot. When we get to the game plan, we’ll get to it next week. I’m enjoying it right now. Obviously it’s going to be a big one on the road. We know that. Everybody knows that. We’re taking our time and going to enjoy this one.”
The Niners (8-3) allowed one first down in the first 29 minutes, led by 21 points at halftime, and were in control the entire way as they beat the Seahawks for the fourth straight time — including a playoff win — after losing 17 of the previous 20 games in the series.
San Francisco now holds a two-game lead over Seattle in the division with a tiebreaker edge so the focus can turn toward seeding in the playoffs. The Niners are tied with Detroit for the second best record in the NFC, 1 1/2 games behind the Eagles (9-1).
San Francisco lost the NFC title game last year in Philadelphia after Purdy injured his elbow on the opening drive and the Niners were left without a functioning quarterback for most of the second half.
They have been eager to get another shot at the Eagles and will head into that matchup on a three-game winning streak that followed a three-game midseason skid.
“I always talk about getting back to playing our style. I guess ever since we got Chase Young things kind of flipped around, didn’t they?" linebacker Fred Warner said about the trade deadline acquisition of Young. “But it’s just a combination of things. Just us playing together as a unit, rushing the coverage, and winning on third down has been crucial for us. ... We got to keep it going. There’s room for improvement out there.”
WHAT’S WORKINGPass rush. The Niners had a season-high six sacks as the midseason addition of Young has been paying big dividends. San Francisco has 15 sacks in the three games since acquiring Young from Washington. Nick Bosa finished with two sacks to become the fourth 49ers player to reach 50 in his career. Arik Armstead also had one to give him at least a half-sack in a career-best four straight games.
WHAT NEEDS HELPKick coverage. The Niners allowed a 66-yard kick return by Dee Eskridge that set up a Seattle field goal in the first quarter and then a 30-yard return by Eskridge that gave the Seahawks possession at their 37 in the fourth quarter.
STOCK UPCornerbacks. Ambry Thomas showed why he is getting a more regular role of late, getting his first interception since his playoff-clinching one against Matthew Stafford in Week 18 of the 2021 season and breaking up a pass in the end zone. Charvarius Ward was even better on the other side, shutting out DK Metcalf for most of the game. He allowed one catch on six throws to Metcalf, according to Pro Football Focus.
“He didn’t hesitate,” coach Kyle Shanahan said of Ward shadowing Metcalf. “He was up for the challenge. He’s been up for it throughout last year, as you guys could see. He was up for it today. Doesn’t disappoint. He was really impressive.”
STOCK DOWNRight side of offensive line. There wasn't a lot that didn't go well for the Niners but right tackle Colton McKivitz and right guard Jon Feliciano allowed seven pressures, according to PFF. That didn't prove detrimental in Seattle but could be a bigger problem against Philadelphia's stronger pass rush.
INJURIESS George Odum tore his biceps in the game and might miss the rest of the season. That comes four days after the Niners lost starting safety Talanoa Hufanga to a season-ending knee injury. San Francisco will likely look to add a safety before next week's game.
KEY NUMBER11 — McCaffrey ran for two more TDs to give him a franchise record 11 on the season. There had been six times a San Francisco player had 10 in a season with Frank Gore the last to do it in 2009. McCaffrey's 16 overall TDs are the most for any Niners player in the team's first 11 games of the season — two more than the previous, reached three times by Jerry Rice.
NEXT STEPSSan Francisco visits Philadelphia on Dec. 3 in a rematch of NFC title game.
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