The San Francisco 49ers are moving on, punching their ticket to the NFC Divisional Round with a 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday afternoon. The Super Wild Card Weekend victory extends the team's win streak to 11-straight games and completes the sweep of NFC West opponents for the season. The team will face the winner of Monday night's Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Dallas Cowboys matchup in the next round following the elimination of the third seeded Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The Seahawks were competitive through the first two quarters of Saturday's contest, taking a 17-16 lead into halftime. However, the 49ers came roaring back in the second half. The defense produced two key takeaways that consisted of a third quarter strip-sack from defensive lineman Charles Omenihu and fourth quarter interception by cornerback Deommodore Lenoir. They also limited Seattle's offense to just six points while the 49ers offensive unit put up 25 points to seal the deal. San Francisco's QB1 Brock Purdy made history again in the Wild Card game, becoming the first rookie in franchise history to start and win a postseason game.
Here are San Francisco's top performers from Super Wild Card Weekend:
Top Offensive Performer: Deebo Samuel
The 49ers 'wideback' was the top offensive performer from the Seahawks-49ers showdown, earning an 89.4 overall grade for his 50 snaps in his second game back from injury. Samuel closed out Saturday with six catches for 133 yards and touchdown through the air and three carries for 32 yards on the ground. Seventy-four of No. 19's receiving yards came on his fourth quarter score. Purdy connected with Samuel on a short pass play, and he had 66 yards after the catch on his way to the end zone. His 89.4 overall grade is his highest of the year.
"49ers receiver Deebo Samuel and Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf put on a show Saturday," PFF staff wrote in their game recap. "Each finished with at least 125 receiving yards, a touchdown and an 85.0-plus receiving grade on first review."
Top Defensive Performers: Charles Omenihu and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Flannigan-Fowles earned San Francisco's highest mark on defense, coming away with an 89.7 overall grade, however, his snap count was limited (18 total defensive snaps). The linebacker was targeted three times and allowed one catch for six yards.
Omenihu topped all defensive performers with larger snaps counts, grading out to an 89.5 mark for his 34 snaps of work. The defensive lineman had 2.0 sacks, a forced fumble and three tackles. He also had a team-high five pressures. Omenihu's third quarter strip-sack was the momentum-changing play of the game, and the 49ers were able to capitalize on the turnover on the ensuing drive to take a 31-17 lead early in the fourth quarter.
"It shouldn't be surprising that the aforementioned Omenihu was the game's standout defense, as he totaled five pressures, two sacks, two pass-rush wins that didn't result in a pressure and a team-high 33.3% pass-rush win rate," PFF staff wrote. "He also added a tackle against the run. The Texas product proved that Bosa isn't the only 49ers defensive lineman who can make a game-changing impact."
