Niners Inch Top Spot

It came down to two, maybe three inches. For the San Francisco 49ers, that was the difference between being the No. 1 and the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs. Two, maybe three inches. For the Seattle Seahawks, that was the difference between hosting at least one playoff game and likely playing the entire postseason on the road.

Two, maybe three inches. That was how close tight end Jacob Hollister came to crossing the goal line and completing a furious Seahawks comeback on a fourth and goal from the 5 with 12 seconds left. That is how close the entire NFC can be. This wild conclusion – a 26-21 San Francisco victory gave the 49drs the NFC West division title on the final night of the regular season – provided a fitting pre-playoff glimpse of a conference with little separation.

Welcome to the NFC playoffs. Cherish every inch.

“Unbelievable,” San Francisco left tackle Joe Staley said. “Just a wild game, an unbelievably emotional game. We’ve been in a lot of crazy games this year. That’s just how it’s going to be.”

If this is what the postseason has in store, buckle up. And take something for your anxiety. And if you’re following the Seahawks, hope that the team can be a little cleaner at the end of these frenetic games.

Two plays before Hollister came up short on Russell Wilson’s last throw, Seattle took a delay-of-game penalty on second and goal from the 1. It was an awful mistake at the worst possible time. With a chance to win the game, the Seahawks were slow and indecisive and lost four yards on a night that came down to those two, maybe three inches. Afterward, Coach Pete Carroll said the penalty was the result of miscommunication among the running backs over substitutions. It was a critical error amid a spectacular finish.

“We burned the time,” said Carroll, whose team finished as the No. 5 seed and will play at Philadelphia in the wild-card round Sunday. “We just didn’t get it done. We just didn’t function clearly.”

The memorable finish seemingly came out of nowhere. Early in this game, the Seahawks couldn’t capitalize on the emotional lift of Marshawn Lynch’s Seattle comeback. All week, the city had been abuzz over the most unlikely scenario: Lynch, the rugged running back who helped Seattle win a championship and make two Super Bowl appearances, was back in the blue, silver and light green uniform for the first time since 2015.

The enthusiasm almost overshadowed the fact that the Seahawks signed him and Robert Turbin, another old friend, out of semi-retirement because injuries had decimated their backfield. When the game started, the shorthanded Seahawks could not hide their limitations despite the energy and atmosphere that Lynch provided.

The 49ers dominated the first half in a manner that Seattle seldom experiences in prime-time showdowns. During Carroll’s 10 seasons as head coach, the Seahawks had a 29-6-1 record in prime-time games entering this contest, including a 19-2 mark in home night games. Normally, they live for these moments, and with the NFC West title at stake, this regular season finale had been anticipated for several weeks. But it was San Francisco’s turn to own the stage.

With Jimmy Garoppolo dealing and George Kittle appearing impossible to defend, the 49ers took command and led 13-0 at halftime. It felt worse than that. San Francisco outgained Seattle 139-24 in the first quarter and took a quick 10-0 lead. At one point in the second quarter, the 49ers held a 220-30 advantage in yardage. They dominated up front on defense and did just about whatever they wanted on the offensive end.

Garoppolo, who threw for 285 yards, completed his first nine passes. Kittle had the majority of his seven receptions and 86 yards by halftime. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel scored the only touchdown of the first half, taking a reverse, sprinting 30 yards and finishing his journey to the end zone with a slick spin move on Seahawks cornerback Tre Flowers.

The 49ers stifled the Seattle running game and left Wilson to dance around and try to avoid their formidable defensive front. Wilson threw for only 55 yards in the first half. Seattle looked more ordinary than it had all season, and while you could point to significant injuries at running back, tight end, left tackle, center and wide receiver, it was still strange to see a Wilson-led team struggle for so long in such an important game.

In the first half, Lynch managed just seven yards on five carries. On Seattle’s best drive in the first 30 minutes, the offense turned to Lynch on a fourth-and-one play with 45 seconds left before halftime. San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa stuffed him for no gain. The Seahawks had squandered their only legitimate scoring chance of the half.

The offense operated much better after halftime. Wilson threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett to trim the deficit to 13-7 in the third quarter. With 9:55 remaining in the fourth quarter, Lynch scored a one-yard touchdown to inch Seattle closer, at 19-14. But Seattle couldn’t stop Garoppolo and Coach Kyle Shanahan’s clever and diverse offensive attack.

The 49ers answered Seattle’s first two scores with backbreaking drives of their own, both concluding with Raheem Mostert touchdown runs.

Wilson found DK Metcalf for a 14-yard touchdown with 3:36 left, setting up the Seahawks’ final near miss after San Francisco went three-and-out.

“All of these games are inches,” Seattle defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said. “It was very crazy. I’ve never been in a game like that and at the end of the game like that.”

The 49ers, the healthier and more balanced team, survived. With the NFC West crown on the line, they played close to a complete game and at times looked to be what their record has suggested all season: the most dangerous team in the entire NFC.

Yet, considering how wacky the NFC has been, they’ll need every bit of their newly earned home-field advantage to make a Super Bowl run. Still, the Niners will enjoy the top seed and the bye they earned. As they prepare for what’s next, they can reflect on a remarkable turnaround. Just last season, they were an injury-marred 4-12 team. Now, they are among the Super Bowl favorites.

“It’s just an incredible feeling,” Kittle said. “Appreciation is something that I feel. Just the hard work we put in finally amounting to something that matters. We’re definitely not done.”