Despite being nine-point underdogs, the Seattle Seahawks were hanging with the San Francisco 49ers for about three quarters. Then, Deebo Samuel happened.
While Samuel had steadily been having a productive afternoon, he truly broke out in the fourth quarter thanks to a great find by rookie quarterback Brock Purdy.
The 49ers were already holding a two-score lead, yet coach Kyle Shanahan continued to dial up passing plays for his first-year QB on Saturday. Yet, with players like Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey on the team, getting the ball in the hands of your best players is the key to success.
In this case, Samuel took a pass just past the sticks from Purdy and showed off his incredible ability to pick up yards after the catch, going off for a 74-yard receiving touchdown to push the score to 38-17.
Here is the play that took all the wind out of Seattle’s sails.
While Seattle may be the team who had a Pro Bowl quarterback with Geno Smith starting for the Seahawks, instead, we saw Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, steal the show. The first-year pro passed for 332 yards and three touchdowns to cruise to victory in the second half.
The 49ers now await their opponent for the Divisional Round, where their top-ranked defense will be prepared to defend Levi’s Stadium against their next foe. If Purdy and Samuel can keep having the same success we saw on Saturday, it won’t matter who’s on the schedule next week.
Related: San Francisco 49ers reportedly view Jimmy Garoppolo as backup to Brock Purdy