By Tim Byrnes
6 San Francisco 49ers (13-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (14-3): Sea 41-6
13 Seconds! The game was over in 13 seconds.
Seattle’s All-Pro KR Rashid Shaheed took the opening kick right up the middle of the field, 95 yards for a score, and the Seahawks never looked back. The 12th-man crowd went crazy, the opening kickoff noise never subsided, and those first points would be all they needed.
On the ensuing drive the 49ers were run out-of-bounds on a 4th-down play, leaving Seattle a short field to go. Using a quick tempo (opponents beware!), the Seahawks capitalized on the turnover by driving for a Jason Myers 31-yard field goal to go up 10-0.
Two plays later 49ers TE Jake Tonges (5 receptions-59 yards receiving) fumbled a pass from Brock Purdy and Seattle was on the move, yet again!
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold (124 yards passing-td), who came into the game with a sore oblique, hit his favorite target WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba for a 4-yard touchdown, and closed the 1st-quarter with a 17-0 shutout lead.
The 49ers had back-to-back 10-play drives to begin the 2nd-quarter but managed just two Eddy Pineiro field goals, while the Seahawks countered with a 7-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Walker III (145 total yards- 3 td’s), to hit halftime up 24-7.
Walker became the workhorse, touching the ball frequently and often, and adding two 2nd-half touchdown runs of 15 & 6 yards, respectively.
Seattle LB Ernest Jones IV was all over the stat sheet, garnering six tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception on the day, to help hold San Francisco scoreless for the rest of the game.
The 49ers were stagnant Saturday, and even 4x All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey (35 yards rushing/ 39 yards receiving) was ineffective. Mr. Irrelevant QB Brock Purdy had just 140 passing yards with an interception, and his leading the team with only 37 rushing yards magnified just how out of sync San Francisco was in this game.
5 Los Angeles Rams (13-5) @ 2 Chicago Bears (12-6): LAR 20-17
The National Anthem was amazing!
Chicago legend Jim Cornelison gave one of the most inspiring renditions of the song ever heard in the Playoffs, and the atmosphere was electric afterwards. It really set the tone for the entire game, and the two teams didn’t disappoint.
The NFC West has proved to be the power division of the NFC, with three of the four Divisional teams playing, hailing from the West. Rams QB Matthew Stafford made a statement on the first possession, a masterful 14-play drive that went 85 yards, culminating in a 5-yard touchdown by Kyren Williams.
Chicago responded with its own long drive, a 12-play, 80 yard possession with QB Caleb Williams hitting four different receivers, including DJ Moore’s on a 3-yard touchdown.
The teams traded field field goals to go into the half tied at 10-10 and the stalemate continued the entire 3rd-quarter, with CB Cobie Durant recording his second interception of the game, and the teams trading punts.
Starting the fourth quarter with minimal success, the Bears punted and stuffed the Rams deep in its own territory. Beginning at the 9-yard line, Los Angeles returned to Williams (87 yards rushing-2 td’s/ 4 receptions-30 yards), giving him seven carries, and Stafford mixed in sometimes iffy passes but still marched 91 yards for a 5-yard score by Williams, his second of the game.
Chicago responded well, gaining 61 yards on its next drive but couldn’t punch it in with 1st-and-goal. Williams’ toss to WR Luther Burden fell incomplete and the Rams maintained a seven point lead.
With 1:32 remaining, Williams (257 yards passing 2 td’s-3 ints/ 40 yards rushing) and Chicago had another shot, and he led them into the red-zone. On 4th-and-4 he threw up a prayer that was answered, when with :18 left TE Cole Kmet caught a 14-yard touchdown pass, sending the game into overtime.
In OT, after a Rams 3-and-out, S Kam Curl (13 tackles) intercepted a deep pass to Moore, setting up the “Thicker Kicker” heroics, and a spot in the Conference Championships.
Los Angeles travels to Seattle for the NFC Championships, scheduled for Sunday, Jan 25th 3:30pm PST.
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