Posted on: December 16, 2022, 02:07h.
Last updated on: December 16, 2022, 02:07h.
Kyle Shanahan and his NFL playbook are delivering some pretty amazing results for the San Francisco 49ers so far this season, regardless of who’s in the backfield. Off another solid offensive performance on Thursday Night Football, the Niners made easy work of the Seattle Seahawks to capture the NFC West division.
Brock Purdy, the rookie quarterback out of the University of Iowa, has not succumbed to the pressure of being a new starter. He has been performing as if he were a veteran, and gave another stellar showing last night.
With the 21-13 win, the 49ers have now won seven games in a row, 10 overall on the season. The Seahawks drop to 7-7 in second place in the division and are now in a difficult situation to qualify for the postseason, with just three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Niners Fire On All Cylinders
Even with the return of their star running back, Kenneth Walker, the Seahawks couldn’t figure out the extraordinary defense of the Niners. On Seattle’s opening drive, they could only manage two yards before giving up the ball.
From that opening series, San Fran took the field with a solid game plan and single-minded determination. The defense continued to pound away, allowing Seattle only two field goals across three quarters.
Just like a week ago against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Purdy had an outstanding performance. He passed for 217 yards and connected on two touchdown passes. Wide receiver George Kittle was the target for both, with running back Christian McCaffrey, who had 108 yards, adding a third.
Late in the second quarter, it looked like Seattle were finally finding a rhythm in their offense. Then, with just over a minute to go, with Seattle in scoring range, Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw and cornerback Jimmie Ward forced a major fumble.
Charvarius Ward scooped it up and made it to the Seahawks’ 5-yard line before he was stopped. That led to the McCaffrey TD and the Niners’ lead.
At the start of the third quarter, the Niners attack continued. It began with a perfect pass from Purdy with a double fake for 54 yards that Kittle brought down for his second TD of the game. Up 21-6, San Fran was in undeniable control.
In the final period, there wasn’t much change. The Seahawks finally found the end zone after QB Geno Smith connected with wide receiver Noah Fant but, with under four minutes, to go, there wasn’t much hope. Peyton Manning pulled off a 21-point comeback in three minutes for the Indianapolis Colts in 2003 to beat the Bucs, but the Seahawks aren’t the 2003 Colts.
Referees Continue To Disappoint
At the rate the NFL is going, it might be the National Flag Football League by 2030. It’s not uncommon each year for refs to miss calls or make bad ones, but they seem to be in bad-call overdrive this year.
They called this roughing the passer penalty on Nick Bosa 😬 pic.twitter.com/4jJnloBms1
— Sportsville (@Sportsville_) December 16, 2022
Last night was no exception, with Niners linebacker Nick Bosa receiving a penalty for roughing the passer. It was, by any expectation, a clean hit by a defensive player who was doing his job. Fortunately, the Seahawks couldn’t capitalize on it.
However, refs are increasingly calling roughing the passer penalties on clean hits. Soon, anything more than touching a QB will be a flag.
This could spell trouble for the league, especially if a new rule being considered by owners goes live. There is a rumor that the league is contemplating the possibility of making the penalty for roughing the passer an ejection. With refs incapable of standardized application of the rules, this could turn games upside down.
Sportsbooks saw most of the action on last night’s game going on the Niners. DraftKings reported that 72% of the bets and 54% of the money backed San Fran.
Where bettors missed was on the over/under, with the game coming in just under the 43 total that most books offered. 55% of the handle on DraftKings was on the under, while 62% of the bets backed the over.
Next up, in Week 16, the Niners face the Washington Commanders and the Seahawks face the Kansas City Chiefs.
