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12/29 16:37 CST How the 49ers defied the odds to battle for the NFC's top seed
How the 49ers defied the odds to battle for the NFC's top seed
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) --- When defensive stars Nick Bosa and Fred Warner
went down with long-term injuries early in the season, it seemed like any
chance for the San Francisco 49ers to contend for a title went away, too.
Yet somehow the Niners head into a showdown against Seattle in the
regular-season finale with the opportunity to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC
playoffs with a win against the Seahawks.
"Back when Fred got hurt, if you told anybody we'd be 12-4 and be battling Week
18 for that one seed, you're absolutely crazy," fullback Kyle Juszczyk said.
"Nobody would've believed you. So it's been a special season already, and one I
definitely don't take for granted. But we're not done. I have all the
confidence in the world that we can get this thing done."
The 49ers (12-4) are in position get home-field advantage for a postseason that
will end with the Super Bowl on their home field Feb. 8 after holding off the
Chicago Bears in a thrilling 42-38 win Sunday night.
They will have a quick turnaround, with the game against the Seahawks moved to
Saturday night to get a national television window.
"It's a hell of a deal to have the opportunity to play for the one seed," coach
Kyle Shanahan said. "These guys have earned it. We've got to go to bed early
and get ready to come back because we found out it's Saturday, so it's going to
happen soon."
Brock Purdy overcame a pick-6 on the opening play from scrimmage to become the
seventh player ever to post back-to-back games with at least five combined
touchdowns passing and rushing.
Purdy threw for 303 yards and three scores --- including a late, go-ahead
strike to Jauan Jennings --- and ran for two scores to lead the 49ers to their
sixth straight win since he returned from a toe injury.
Purdy has thrown for 893 yards with 11 TD passes, two TD runs and a 131.5
passer rating in the last three games for San Francisco.
"I thought Brock had a hell of a game, again," Shanahan said. "He made some
huge plays in this game, kept some drives alive with his legs, made some
off-schedule plays and was an assassin out there throughout the whole day."
What's working Running game. The 49ers have found their running game the last few weeks after struggling to generate consistent yardage on the ground early in the season. San Francisco had season highs with 200 yards rushing and 5.9 yards per carry as Christian McCaffrey looked as fresh as he has all season despite 399 scrimmage touches this season.
What needs help Pass defense. San Francisco had no sacks or takeaways for the third this season as the pass defense again didn't generate big plays or slow down the opposing offense. Caleb Williams beat them for two deep TD passes in the first half and threw for 330 yards on the game. The 49ers have allowed a passer rating of 100.6 for the season. Only two teams have ever made the playoffs in a season with passer rating allowed of at least 100.
Stock up TE Jake Tonges. With George Kittle sidelined by an ankle injury, Tonges stepped up again like he did early in the season. He had seven catches for 60 yards and a touchdown after catching just two passes the last nine games when Kittle was healthy.
Stock down DE Bryce Huff provided a nice boost to the pass rush early in the season but hasn't been productive of late. He had only one pressure against the Bears. Huff has no sacks in his last seven games after getting four in his first seven.
Injuries The Niners are hoping to get Kittle back for this week. ... LT Trent Williams (hamstring), CB Upton Stout (concussion) and DL Keion White (groin) all left the game with injuries, putting their status in question on a short week.
Key stat 4 --- The 49ers have trailed at the start of four drives during their six-game winning streak since Purdy returned and have scored to tie or take the lead on all of them. They had two TDs on two drives when trailing Chicago, scoring a TD after the game-opening pick-6 and then scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Next steps The 49ers host Seattle on Saturday night. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
What's working Running game. The 49ers have found their running game the last few weeks after struggling to generate consistent yardage on the ground early in the season. San Francisco had season highs with 200 yards rushing and 5.9 yards per carry as Christian McCaffrey looked as fresh as he has all season despite 399 scrimmage touches this season.
What needs help Pass defense. San Francisco had no sacks or takeaways for the third this season as the pass defense again didn't generate big plays or slow down the opposing offense. Caleb Williams beat them for two deep TD passes in the first half and threw for 330 yards on the game. The 49ers have allowed a passer rating of 100.6 for the season. Only two teams have ever made the playoffs in a season with passer rating allowed of at least 100.
Stock up TE Jake Tonges. With George Kittle sidelined by an ankle injury, Tonges stepped up again like he did early in the season. He had seven catches for 60 yards and a touchdown after catching just two passes the last nine games when Kittle was healthy.
Stock down DE Bryce Huff provided a nice boost to the pass rush early in the season but hasn't been productive of late. He had only one pressure against the Bears. Huff has no sacks in his last seven games after getting four in his first seven.
Injuries The Niners are hoping to get Kittle back for this week. ... LT Trent Williams (hamstring), CB Upton Stout (concussion) and DL Keion White (groin) all left the game with injuries, putting their status in question on a short week.
Key stat 4 --- The 49ers have trailed at the start of four drives during their six-game winning streak since Purdy returned and have scored to tie or take the lead on all of them. They had two TDs on two drives when trailing Chicago, scoring a TD after the game-opening pick-6 and then scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Next steps The 49ers host Seattle on Saturday night. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
