Injuries Finally Catch up to 49ers in 13-3 Loss to Seahawks Who Are Kings of NFC

The San Francisco 49ers had a chance to pull off what seemed like the impossible at the beginning of the season with a shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Instead, that will go to the Seattle Seahawks, who beat the Niners 13-3 at home on Saturday night in Levi’s Stadium. The defense for San Francisco played incredibly hard, but the offense’s inability to sustain drives spelled the end of the night for the 49ers. The Seahawks will end the regular season 14-3, enjoy a first-round bye, and home field advantage for the entire postseason.

It was a defensive battle that field position and critical execution mattered in. With the wind gusts in Santa Clara, the special teams battle was affected with Seattle missing two field goals. However, that doesn’t matter too much when the opposing offense can only manage three points. San Francisco was 2-of-9 on third down and 0-of-2 on their fourth down attempts. The league’s best third-down defense got the better of a team converting a league-high 51 percent of their third downs.

Here is the full story from 49ers Roundtable writer Eric Maganga on that crucial area of failed execution for San Francisco that spelled the end of their night.

The absence of left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall were really apparent. Brock Purdy just didn’t have the time he needed back there – nor did the run game – or the option of someone who could stretch the field in Pearsall. Now, with the loss, the 12-5 Niners will wait for the results of the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday to see if they’ll receive the No. 5 or No. 6 seed. But the road to the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl will go through Seattle.