My brother is a lifelong Colts fan, and back in 1971, when they were still the Baltimore Colts, our family was thrilled when they beat the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V. It was a game filled with errors. Baltimore turned the ball over seven–yes, seven–times, but the Cowboys returned the favor four. I will always remember Sports Illustrated's cover title, "The Blooper Bowl."

Sunday's game against the Seahawks was also filled with errors, but the most frustrating were the self-inflicted ones. A muffed punt is not a great play by the enemy's coverage team. In addition, the offense committed numerous penalties, often bringing back a good gain, even wiping out a first down or knocking the Niners out of field goal range.


The offensive line was atrocious for the first time this year. Going into the game, the unit had not given up a sack. On Sunday, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy was sacked three times, hit nine, and the pressure rate was off the charts. At one point, the booth reported that Purdy faced pressure nearly 60 percent of the time. That is an astonishing level.

Fortunately, Purdy made numerous plays with his legs to buy time, most notably on back-to-back fourth-quarter plays, throwing a touchdown pass to recently signed 49ers wide receiver Brandon Cooks and then a 2-point conversion to Mike Evans.

In many ways, the game highlighted both teams' strengths and weaknesses. Seattle's defensive front is one of the league's best, against both the run and the pass. In last season's playoff blowout, the Seattle defensive line dominated the Niner offensive line, but the hope was that things would be different this time, especially since the 49ers' front had not surrendered a sack all year. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. New left guard Connor Colby was particularly weak.

While Purdy had nary a clean pocket all game, the San Francisco defense had their best game of the year, sacking Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold five times and hitting him eight more.

One of the biggest weaknesses last season was the pass rush, getting to the quarterback a mere twenty times. Coming into the game, the defense had tallied just six, and Nick Bosa is out with a calf issue. But the interior of the line came through in a big way. Defensive tackles Sebastian Valdez, who was undrafted, Gracen Halton, a rookie, and Osa Odighizuwa, one of general manager John Lynch's most heralded free-agent signings, all took Darnold down and hit him three times, as well.


Add to that the pivotal play at the end of the first half when Halton forced a fumble and fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown.

The other clear comparison was the secondaries. Both teams' corners played well, but the 49ers safeties, Ji'Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha, were often out of position and missed tackles. On one of Brown's best plays, a deep-ball breakup, commentator Tom Brady said it really should have been an interception.

On the other hand, Seattle safety Nick Emmanwori is a difference maker. He was a main reason the Niners' pass catchers had much less after-catch yardage than they usually do. And he helped corners take away deep options.

Just as San Francisco's All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner changes the entire defense, a good safety can also change a game. The Faithful know this all too well with all-time great Ronnie Lott in the collective memory.

Across the league, it's easy to see how Baltimore's Kyle Hamilton, the Chargers' Derwin James, and Emmanwori make even the best offenses change their play calls and adjust those calls throughout the game. It is a position Lynch might want to address this coming offseason.


But in a game marred by mistakes of many kinds, the most important takeaway is how resilient this team is. How physical. How determined. How connected as a team. On a day when the offense seemed stuck in the mud or gave away field position with mistakes, the defense came through.

Former Forty Niner defensive coordinator Robert Saleh used to tell the players that when the offense committed a turnover, the defense had an opportunity. They had a chance to show the world they could keep the damage to a minimum or blunt it altogether.

Current defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is apparently preaching the same message in his own way. Here are a few examples.

In the second quarter, after the Niners punted three times in a row, Warner punched the ball loose on the first play of the Seahawks' drive to give the offense the ball on the Seattle 11. Touchdown.

At the end of the first half, after the offense committed a penalty and gave up a sack that moved them out of field-goal range, Halton knocked the ball free on the next play and into the end zone, where he fell on it for a touchdown.


In the third quarter, after wide receiver Deebo Samuel fumbled at the team's own 36-yard line, the 49ers defense held Seattle to a field goal.

But the offense showed just as much grit. After struggling to get much going, Purdy and Evans took over in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line, connecting for 75 yards on the drive.

On that pivotal drive, Purdy scrambled to avoid the rush and threw a touchdown pass, then the two-point conversion.

Overall, it was a nerve-wracking game. The talent was evident, and the weaknesses were clear. Frustratingly, once again players were lost to injury. But the heart is often where games are won. And the famous Seattle fans, the "12th man," could not make enough noise to drown out that powerful San Francisco beat.

Written By:

Jack Stewart


Jack Stewart was educated at Alabama and Emory and was a Brittain Fellow at Georgia Tech. His poetry has been published widely in the US and several other countries. His book No Reason was published in the Poeima Poetry Series in 2020.
All articles by Jack Stewart


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