49ers capture NFC West title, top seed in playoffs
Defense stops Seattle inches from goal line in final seconds to save thrilling 2621 victory.
SEATTLE — The only thing the 49ers lost at CenturyLink Field on Sunday night was the monkey they’d been lugging on their back for the past seven seasons.
Yes, the 49ers finally won a game at Seattle and their heartstopping 2621 victory came with some valuable parting gifts. While clinching the NFC West title, they earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, which comes with a firstround bye and homefield advantage throughout the postseason.
It didn’t come easily: The 49ers nearly squandered a 12point lead in the final six minutes, but got their first win at CenturyLink Field since 2011 when linebacker Dre Greenlaw tackled tight end Jacob Hollister inches from the goal line on 4th andgoal from the 5yard line with nine seconds left.
“Talk about a game of inches,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said.
Said Seattle quarterback
Russell Wilson: “We came up a halfinch short there, unfortunately.”
Said 49ers’ left tackle Joe Staley: “We came away with one more play today.”
The 49ers are just two wins away from reaching the Super Bowl. And Sunday’s game evoked memories of their first title in Super Bowl XVI, which featured the same 2621 score and a goalline stand in which the key man was linebacker Dan Bunz, who, like Greenlaw, also wore No. 57.
On Sunday, on the Seahawks’ final drive, they faced 4thand10 at the 12yard line with 42 seconds left when Wilson completed an 11yard pass to wideout John Ursua. The Seahawks, who were out of timeouts, then spiked the ball on first down.
They then took an inexplicable delayofgame penalty. Wilson followed by throwing two incompletions before his fourthdown pass to Hollister came up inches short.
It was a wild finish. For most teams. But it’s become standard for the 49ers: Their past five games — three wins and two losses — have been decided in the game’s final nine seconds.
“I don’t know if it’s a herewegoagain type of thing,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “I definitely wish we would stop doing that. But you have to win them how you win them. This team is built for stuff like that. And the people that are here are built for things like that. Tough moments. Tough situations.”
The 49ers (133) arrived with horrific memories of always earsplitting CenturyLink Field, where they’d lost eight straight games dating to 2012 and had been outscored 21696 in the process. The 49ers hadn’t scored more than 20 points in Seattle since 2008.
On Sunday, however, their offense was at its best in big moments.
In the second half, the Seahawks, who trailed 130 at halftime, scored three touchdowns to close within one score and the 49ers answered the first two scores with swift touchdown drives that lasted a combined 6 minutes, 25 seconds.
The 49ers took a 2614 lead — and seemingly put the game out of reach — on running back Raheem Mostert’s 13yard run with just less than six minutes left.
But the Seahawks cut the margin to within 2621 just more than two minutes later when Wilson capped a sevenplay, 60yard drive with a 14yard touchdown throw to D.K. Metcalf with 3:36 remaining.
The 49ers went threeandout on their next drive, on which center Ben Garland was flagged for a 15yard unnecessaryroughness penalty, to set the stage for the Seattle’s final drive.
And Wilson nearly pulled it off. After he threw for just 55 yards in Seattle’s scoreless first half, he completed 18 of 28 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns in the final two quarters.
“Russell Wilson’s one of the greatest to do it,” McGlinchey said. “And anytime he has the ball in his hands, and anytime he’s playing across from you, you know that they always have a chance.”
The 49ers had their own offensive standouts.
Jimmy Garoppolo completed 18 of 22 passes, matching his careerbest completion percentage (81.8), for 285 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Wideout Deebo Samuel had five catches for 102 yards and added a 30yard touchdown run.
In the locker room, Staley, 35, the only player who had been with 49ers when they last won at CenturyLink, was asked if the divisionclinching win was sweeter because it came in Seattle.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Staley said, smiling. “It feels good because, honestly, it’s been a hard place to play. Everyone knows our record here.”