OT kick ends losing streak vs. Seattle
Finally: 5 years since last win over rival.
SANTA CLARA >> It took 5 years and 10 straight losses to the Seattle Seahawks before the 49ers finally beat their NFC West rival again, doing so in overtime Sunday 26-23.
The 49ers (4-10) won it on Robbie Gould’s fourth field goal, a 36-yard attempt amid rare rain at Levi’s Stadium, where the Seahawks (8-6) had won all four of their previous visits.
“Obviously it means a lot beating Seattle for me,” former Seahawk Richard Sherman said. “But it’s the way guys showed up and kept battling. … We’re out there with an incredibly young team. I’m guessing we’re putting out the youngest guys in the league at this point.”
Two weeks after losing 43-16 at Seattle, the 49ers have won two in a row for the first time since last December’s 5-0 finish with then-quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
“They flat out embarrassed us two weeks ago . ... It was a long two weeks, for sure,” said DeForest Buckner, who had 11 tackles and raised his season sack total to 11 with Sunday’s pair. “Everyone wanted to get out there and redeem themselves.”
Left tackle Joe Staley and tight end Garrett Celek are the only 49ers left from the
2013 team that last beat Seattle, to which Staley said of Sunday’s result: “It feels good, but it stinks that we had to go through a streak like that. I just wish we had more to play for this year.”
Let’s get to the highs and lows from the 49ers’ penultimate home game, with the NFC North-winning Chicago Bears due in next Sunday:
DRAFT STATUS >> The Raiders and Arizona Cardinals each fell to 3-11 and thus leapfrogged the 49ers (4-10) atop the 2019 NFL Draft board. The 49ers are at No. 4 between the New York Jets (4-10) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10) based on strength of schedule. WINNING DRIVE >> Trent Taylor’s 15-yard punt return to the 49ers’ 38-yard line gave them their best starting field position of the game. Matt Breida opened with carries of 4 and 7 yards before aggravating an ankle injury on a 5-yard loss. Dante Pettis (5 catches, 83 yards) then drew a pass-interference penalty, and Jeff Wilson Jr. followed runs of 16, 3 and 4 yards to set up Gould’s winner with 3:06 left.
Taylor said of his return: “I just needed a little crease and did what I could to give us good field position. Little stuff like that adds up.”
DEFENSIVE PLAY OF THE DAY >> Buckner produced a huge, third-down sack after Solomon Thomas and Ronald Blair pressured Russell Wilson out of the pocket, forcing the
Seahawks to settle for a tying field goal (23-23 with 5:21 to go).
That was Buckner’s 11th sack this season. No. 10 set up a third-and-18 scenario in the third quarter, and he led the 49ers with 11 tackles, four for loss. Buckner also sacked Wilson twice two weeks ago.
“Shoot, four times in one year? That’s a great year,” Buckner said. “He’s a hard man to get with his low center of gravity and quickness. It’s definitely a relief.” He also called it “gratifying” to reach his preseason goal of becoming the first 49er with double-digit sacks since Aldon Smith (19 1/2 in 2012). OFFENSIVE PLAY OF THE DAY >> Mullens opened a fourth-quarter drive by dropping a perfect pass over Dante Pettis’ shoulder for a 30-yard gain to the Seattle 45. “That was absolutely insane, a heck of a pitch-and-catch by those two,” George Kittle said. BEST SPECIAL-TEAMS PLAY >> Gould’s winning field goal deserves its own category. So let’s recognize Richie James’ 97-yard kickoff return, a swift response to the Seahawks’ opening-series touchdown. James benefited from terrific blocks by Tarvarius Moore, Mark Nzeocha and James Onwualu, and a not-sogreat tackle attempt by kicker Sebastian Janikowski.
Said James: “When I saw the kicker on the left, I was like, ‘I’ve got to make him miss and then I’m going to keep running.” It was the 49ers’ first kickoff return for a touchdown since Ted Ginn Jr. in the 2011 opener against the Seahawks at Candlestick.
TURNOVER TREND >> The 49ers failed to record a takeway for the sixth consecutive game, and incredibly they are 3-3 in that span. They have a leaguelow five takeaways on the season. Mark Nzeocha did force a Wilson fumble but the Seahawks retained possession for an ensuing punt.
WORST INJURY >> Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (right knee) got hurt on the defense’s opening series, and he will undergo an MRI on Monday for what the 49ers initially are calling a sprain; they haven’t ruled out torn ligaments. Tarvarius Moore replaced him and played quite The 49ers’ Dante Pettis, left, beats the Seahawks’ Shaquill Griffin to make the catch on a 30-yard play in the fourth quarter on Sunday. Pettis caught five passes for 83yards in the overtime victory.
well through a rib injury. CELEK TIME >> Tight end Garrett Celek delivered his second touchdown this season and first since the home opener, scoring on a 41-yard catch-and-run past Seahawks safety Tedric Thompson, who slipped on the play. That gave the 49ers a 14-6 lead.
“I’ve been waiting all year (because) Celek Time is just infectious. It’s so much fun,” Kittle said. “The whole sideline and stadium just loves it.”
KICKING IT >> Gould’s first pointafter kick gave him 1,500 career points, and then came more work. His third field goal of the game, a 45-yard attempt, put the 49ers ahead 23-20 with 9:51 to go. He is 29-of-30 on field-goal attempts this season, a contract year. Shanahan said he wants to re-sign him, and Gould said of that: “I”m not worried about that. What’s it matter if I get signed today, or two days from now, three months from now? It hasn’t been much of a conversation,” Gould said. “... I’d love to be here.”
MULLENS STOCK >> Mullens (20 of 29, 275 yards, 1 TD) improved to 3-1 at Levi’s Stadium. Sherman said of him: “He’s shown he can play in the league. I just hope we keep him because teams need a quarterback. This guy isn’t just playing conservative football.” Mullens refrained from patting himself on the back, adding: “If you want to look at a textbook, collective team win, I believe that was it.” BEST RALLY >> Jeff Wilson Jr. rallied to set up the winning field goal with a 16-yard run to the Seahawks 25. That helped make up for a lost fumble on his first carry, reminiscent of his lost fumble two weeks ago at Seattle. He lost a yard on his his next carry, dropped a third-quarter screen pass and also drew an unsportsmanlikeconduct penalty for flipping the ball at a Seahawks lineman. Wilson got a chance at redemption, and, “It was awesome the way it ended, because it should give him confidence and make
im ready for next week,” Shanahan said.
TOUGHEST RUN >> The Seahawks’ Chris Carson (22 carries, 119 yards) bulled his way in for a tying touchdown on fourth-and-1 to make it 20-20. He slipped out of D.J. Jones’ grasp, lunged from Elijah Lee’s ankle tackle and slammed into D.J. Reed at the goal line.
SECOND-BEST DRIVE >> Starting at their own 2-yard line, the 49ers marched 98 yards for a second-quarter TD and 14-6 lead. Clutch, third-down completions to Taylor and Pettis set up Celek’s 41-yard touchdown reception 9:29 before halftime.
WORST DEFENSIVE PLAY >> Safety Antone Exum whiffed in the open field on Doug Baldwin’s 35-yard touchdown catch, trimming the 49ers’ lead to 14-13 with 5:19 until halftime. Could Exum’s form been impacted by the $53,482 fine he drew last game for unnecessary roughness?