NFL
By: Brock Vierra
The NFC’s second-seeded 49ers defeated their conference rivals Seattle Seahawks 41-23 last Saturday behind a strong second-half performance where they outscored their opponents 25 to 6. They now will have a home playoff matchup against the Dallas Cowboys for which victory would send them to their second straight NFC Championship Game and their third in four years. A rematch of last year’s wild-card matchup in Dallas where the Niners came out victorious 23-17, these storied franchises will write another chapter in their historic rivalry this weekend, a rivalry which is famous for “The Catch”, The 3 straight NFCCG matchups in the Nineties, Irvin vs Sanders and the non-DPI call, Danny White being buried by the Niners while Aikman rose above. So many great storylines with the Niners trying to write their next great narrative.
The Good: Brock stays hot. Despite the Seahawks getting more pressure than expected and seemingly taking control of the game at multiple points, Purdy never wavered. Purdy went 18/30 with 332 passing yards and 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Supported by the Niners run game, Kyle Shanahan’s YAC monsters of Christian McCaffery and Deebo Samuel torched the Hawks with a combined 301 yards of offense and 2 touchdowns. Purdy didn’t rely on George Kittle which kept DBs on their toes and the play-calling was well-balanced.
However, the defense was the closer. With Seattle threatening to take the lead in the third, Nick Bosa came through with a strip sack that gave the Niners the ball and momentum, momentum that the Niners never surrendered. The defensive line kept Kenneth Walker in check when needed and picked Geno Smith off once. Keeping Seattle to six second-half points hammered the point home that the Niners get better as the game continues.
The Bad: Besides a few arid throws from Purdy, there really wasn’t an issue with the offense. They stayed ahead of the sticks throughout the majority of the game and Purdy didn’t play hero ball. However the defense, more importantly, the secondary was a major issue. Hufanga can be a major issue and honestly a liability on this defense. If Bosa doesn’t make the strip sack, we could be looking at a different game. D.K. Metcalf had a monster day. 10 receptions for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Like I mentioned before, the Niners zone coverage is prone to exposure and Dak Prescott put a hurting on the Bucs D. A 25/33 performance with 305 yards and 5 total touchdowns should raise concern for a DB room that though has talent, lacks the true shutdown mentality you’d like to see. 35 carries total proves the Cowboys recipe for offensive success is a run game supplemented by the passing game. When Prescott throws over 35 times, the Cowboys’ offense suffers so it will be up to the defensive front 7 of San Francisco to stop the run at the line of scrimmage.
The Call: The Niners pull this one out 27-23. The Niners will give the Cowboys offensive line the most amount of problems they’ve faced this year and like every game of football, this game will be won in the trenches. Tyler Smith has had a very impressive rookie campaign but if Nick Bosa lines up on the left, it could turn Smith into a turnstile all day. Micah Parsons will get his but Shanahan is going to get the ball out quickly. Expect a deep shot from Purdy only but he’ll reel it back as the game goes on. Expect Deebo Samuel to get more carries in the backfield and some Tight End screens to Kittle. I see Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings getting 80 yards receiving each and that could be the difference-maker. However, don’t be surprised if Trevon Diggs gets a pick.
At the end of the day, it’s a battle of wills and the Niners have been here before. They are miles ahead of Tampa Bay defensively and Niners S Tashaun Gibson is hot right now. NFCCG should run through Philadelphia but the Niners are the ones driving the train. Hopefully, the Boys don’t derail it.
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