Purdy impressive: 49ers rookie stars in playoff debut
He accounts for four touchdowns as San Francisco cruises in wild-card game.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth score in his playoff debut, leading the San Francisco 49ers to a 41-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in a wild-card game Saturday.
“We’ve got a goal of winning the whole thing,” Purdy said. “We’re in a tournament, so anything can happen. I’ve got such a great team, Oline, receivers, defense, across the whole board, man. It’s not a one-man show. I’m very blessed. Thankful to be here.”
Purdy picked up where he left off in the regular season for the 49ers (14-4) and showed few signs of playoff jitters by winning his sixth consecutive start since replacing injured Jimmy Garoppolo early in a Week 13 win over Miami.
The 49ers advanced to the divisional round where they will host either Minnesota, Tampa Bay or Dallas next weekend.
“When we’re playing our best football, offense is doing our thing, defense is doing their thing, we’re a hard team to beat,” Purdy said. “We know that. We’ve got to just keep clicking on all cylinders.”
Purdy connected on a three-yard pass to Christian McCaffrey in the first quarter, converted a one-yard sneak in the third quarter and a seven-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Mitchell early in the fourth to make it 31-17.
The 49ers broke it open when Deebo Samuel took a short pass from Purdy and raced in for a 74-yard score.
Purdy threw for 332 yards — the second most for a rookie in the playoffs to Russell Wilson’s 385 in a loss to Atlanta 10 years ago — and he became the first rookie quarterback to account for four touchdowns in a playoff game.
The Seahawks (9-9) kept it close for most of three quarters before a strip sack by Charles Omenihu late in the third quarter spoiled a red-zone drive.
Purdy then hit Jauan Jennings on a 33-yard pass to set up the touchdown pass to Mitchell that broke the game open. Purdy tied an NFL record for rookies set by the Chargers’ Justin Herbert with his seventh consecutive game with multiple touchdown passes.
San Francisco piled on from there.
The loss brought a disappointing end to a surprising season for the Seahawks, who reached the playoffs on the final weekend in their first season after trading Wilson.
Geno Smith stepped in admirably, throwing 30 touchdown passes in the regular season and keeping it close for a while in the playoff game thanks to a 50-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf in the first half.
Smith finished 25 for 35 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
The 49ers raced out to a 10-0 lead after two possessions, getting a field goal on the opening drive and then a three-yard pass from Purdy to McCaffrey after McCaffrey’s 68-yard run on the second possession.
But Seattle battled back with a 14-play drive capped by Kenneth Walker’s sevenyard run and the deep pass to Metcalf.
The Seahawks took a 17-16 lead into the half thanks to a bonehead play by 49ers safety Jimmie Ward. Smith scrambled nine yards to his own 47 with one second left in the half, but Ward hit him late after he started sliding.
The 15-yard penalty moved the ball to the San
Francisco 38 and Jason Myers made a 56-yard field goal to make it 17-16 at the half.
Seattle became the third team since the start of the 2000 postseason to lead at the half in a playoff game after trailing by at least 10 at the end of the first quarter.