49ers discuss Brock Purdy’s final-play injury and more from loss to Seahawks
The 49ers were beaten and beaten up Saturday night by the Seattle Seahawks in a 13-3 loss that confirmed the 49ers’ place in the wild-card round of the playoffs, while their opponents secured a bye next week.
Brock Purdy was under siege all night and had trouble getting up off the turf after being hit by two Seattle defenders on his final pass of the game, a fourth-down incompletion. Coach Kyle Shanahan said postgame that he suffered a “stinger” nerve pinch in his left shoulder and would have returned to play if the game had not ended.
Purdy was 13-of-27 for 127 yards and an interception, which went off the hands of Christian McCaffrey and into those of Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas to end the 49ers’ hopes of getting back within a single score early in the fourth quarter. He said he felt good postgame after the injury initially kept him down.
McCaffrey, for his part, led the 49ers in rushing, but he did so with just 23 yards on eight carries. Purdy had two carries for 21 yards. Brian Robinson Jr. had two for nine yards.
McCaffrey also led the team with six receptions, but they netted just 34 yards. Jauan Jennings had 35 yards on four catches and George Kittle had 29 on five receptions. Demarcus Robinson had three catches for 24 yards starting in place of Ricky Pearsall.
Kyle Shanahan
On whether the injuries will linger into next week:
Possibly with Tatum (Bethune) and Dee (Winters). I’m not sure — they say Purdy would have gone back in; he checked out all right.
On the Seahawks’ stifling defense:
It was what we expected, just with their defense, and we expected to do better than we did. … We knew it would be a challenge. They got us in a number of moments, had a couple of opportunities, I thought, that we missed. You can’t miss those against a team like that.
On the key plays:
A chance to recover that fumble could be different, a chance to stop them on third-and-17 on that run could be different. The turnover at the end inside the 5. Their third-and-2, our fourth-and-2. A number of plays that could have made it different.
On the execution of the offense:
Having 40 plays. We couldn’t get the run game going — I think we only had 12 runs. I think we converted one third down in the first half. That was the only series that we got to score on. You convert two third downs in the game, they control the clock for 40 minutes.
On the game:
It’s kind of the opposite of what happened last game. I thought we did better on third downs in Week 1. We had the ball for 40 minutes. We averaged about 3 yards a carry in that game, but we stayed on the field so we were able to get 36 runs. Today the run average was similar, but we only had 12 of them. They controlled the ball, kept it from us and when we had to get something going, we didn’t stay on the field on third (down).
On going on the road in the playoffs as a wild card:
We’re ready for it. It would have been nice to have both home games here and get a bye, but it is what it is. I mean, this team has been through a lot this year. Now we got to do it the hard way and we’ll embrace the (expletive) out of doing it the hard way.
On how close Ricky Pearsall and Trent Williams were to playing:
They were pushing it. It would have been too risky to play them, though.
On whether Pearsall and Williams would have had a better chance to play if the game were Sunday:
Much better chance.
On assessing the Seahawks:
A very good defense, a good offense. I mean, they’ve been showing that they’re one of the best teams in the league all year. That didn’t feel much different than the team we played in Week 1.
I thought Brock battled out there. On the one drive, we got something going, where we turned it over there inside the 5. But he made some big plays on that drive. He battled throughout the game. I know he was under duress. We had a feeling that would be the case going into the game. But none of us played good enough to win, but not disappointed at all in Brock.
On the defense:
We need to tackle better. We need to play better than that. I was proud that they kept battling and was able to hold them to 13 points. That’s what gave us a chance there at the end.
Christian McCaffrey
On the loss:
Obviously we wanted that one. But onward, man. We’re in the playoffs and we don’t have time to sulk over it.
On the interception that went off his hands:
It’s a play that I have to make, absolutely have to make. I expect nothing less, and it’s completely on me.
On the defense’s play and his drop:
The defense did an unbelievable job the whole game. They held them to 13 and that’s huge. It’s on us. Again, I go back to that play that could have put us in the game.
On whether this team can make a run on the road in the playoffs:
This whole season’s been difficult for us and we continue to beat the odds, continue to show people that we’re a real football team. We didn’t show it today. We know that but I love the guys in the locker room and how we’ve responded all year.
Brock Purdy
On the Seattle defense:
Obviously they’re a good defense, good front. They did a good job with making us go through reads and checking the ball down. For me, I just wish I could have been a little bit more efficient. They’re going to make you work for the yards and make you have to convert on third down.
On missing out on the No. 1 seed:
That was our goal, but we can’t dwell on it. We have a pretty quick turnaround here and we got to go win next week. But our team has been through so much adversity, guys going down, next man up. People have counted us out and that’s fine.
On the stinger:
I feel good. Just got hit and the left shoulder sort of lit up. So I feel good right now. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.
On the offense, which had been rolling, struggling so mightily:
We always feel like there’s plays left out there that we could have converted, we had an opportunity and we just didn’t do the X, Y and Z. … They played good defense. We didn’t execute and when all these other games where we’ve pulled away and had good points and stats and all that stuff, it’s because we execute on the gritty third downs. We stay on the field and then we go score touchdowns after that.
On missing an open Kittle:
It was one of those things where I felt pressure, but at the end of the dya, I need to find a way to set my feet and get it to him and take a hit if I need to. I was concerned with just having my feet set and then I saw george and from where I was at, I didn’t really have a clear picture to be honest, but when we got back to the sideline, it was like ‘Dang, he was there.’
On McCaffrey’s bobbled interception:
That’s a tough play. Ball got tipped at the line, so it came out weird and he’s trying to adjust. He beat his guy, and then all of a sudden, the ball is just coming in weird and it just didn’t go our way and the other guy was right there to catch it right in his lap. … Christian’s a baller, dude. He’s going to live to play the next play and he’s a Hall of Fame running back, so he should walk out with his head up.
George Kittle
On the game:
In the NFL, you have a bad game, any game. Unfortunately, we decided to have a bad game today. Not efficient. What were we, 2-of-9 on third down? Didn’t really get our run game going.
On the loss and the playoffs looming:
We lost at home to a division rival for the division and the 1 seed and that sucks. That just is what it is. Yes, I’m disappointed about it. It’s horrible. Good news is I get to play football next week, whether it’s Saturday, Sunday, Monday, whenever it is. I get to play football again on the road in a hostile environment.
Would I much rather be on a bye and get to play at Levi’s Stadium? Yeah, but that’s just not our reality. So I fully expect our team to come in, and attack it. We have a whole new season ahead of us.
On rooting for the Cardinals against the Rams tomorrow:
I’m not a betting man, but I’m just rooting for Budda Baker to have three pick-sixes tomorrow, that’s it, and Trey McBride have 200 yards, three touchdowns, that’d be awesome.
On the Seattle defense:
They pressured randomly, they brought a lot of pressures, which is what they do. They drop really deep, they force you to check the ball down and they routed the ball really well.
On the frustration of not having an answer to the Seahawks’ defense:
I feel like we kind of did have an answer there at the end. And then you have a tipped ball, it’s weird, and then another tip for an interception at the 2-yard line. We score a touchdown there and it’s 10-13, who knows? It’s a completely different game.
On leaning on handling adversity in prior seasons:
We weren’t missing as many players back then, from Bosa to fred. That’s really tough, but there are experiences that a lot of our vets have gone through and it’s just your back’s against the wall, like what are you going to do?
On the defense’s game:
Shoutout to our defense. I though thtey played a phenomenal game and gave us plenty of opportunities. That’s why I’m so disappointed, because our offense didn’t back up our defense.
On the offense:
I have a ton of confidence in this offense and it just didn’t go our way tonight.
On the Seahawks celebrating in the locker room:
I would do the same (expletive). They won their division, they got the 1-seed, they won in a rival stadium. Good for them.
On the atmosphere at the stadium:
I thought our fans were fantastic. That was really loud Levi’s Stadium. They helped us out so much in the first half. I never blame the fans. We have to give them more to cheer for on offense.