Seahawks lose to the 49ers in wildly unexpected Wild Card

Smith, Walker, and Metcalf powered the Seahawks to the first-half lead

San Francisco methodically drove all the way to the Seattle 12-yard line, but a huge sack by Bruce Irvin forced the Niners to settle for a 33-yard field goal to extend their lead to 13-7. Smith, Walker, and DK Metcalf nodded, said alright, fine, and went right back to work. I mean, I imagine that’s what they said, probably in slightly more colorful language.

After Godwin Igwebuike set the Seahawks up with a solid 27-yard return, Geno Smith went back to work. Two completions took the ball to the Seattle 43-yard line. A run by Walker crossed the 50 into San Francisco territory. After the Niners stopped number 9 for a one-yard loss, Smith dialed up number 14 on a fly route. DK Metcalf caught the ball in stride, and of course, that was all that was needed for a 50-yard strike and the score. The ever-reliable Jason Myers gave the Hawks the lead, 14-13. With 5:01 left in the half, the Seahawks were outperforming all expectations, other than their own.

The Hawks defense held McCaffrey in check and put a lot of pressure on rookie QB Brock Purdy. San Francisco had to punt, and Seattle was in business. Unfortunately, they couldn’t do much either, only picking up one first down. Purdy hit Brandon Aiyuk for 31 yards and settled for a 46-yard field goal to retake the lead, 16-14. With 13 seconds on the clock, it seemed the Seahawks would have to settle for a close game at the half.

This is where it gets interesting. Obviously, the Niners had seen enough of Igwebuike. Instead of kicking deep, they elected to squib kick, and Colby Parkinson brought the ball all the way to the Seattle 38.

With nine seconds left in the half, Geno obviously had to launch a deep strike to give Myers a chance at a field goal. Instead, the Niners gave him no targets, so he took off running. Smith slid to the Hawks 47, but Niners defender Jimmie Ward inexplicably drove his shoulder into Geno’s head and shoulder. That incredibly stupid penalty gave the Hawks another 15 yards with one second on the clock. Myers drilled the 56-yard field goal, his seventh over 50 yards in seven tries, and the Seahawks took a 17-16 lead.

Now, this is where you probably want to stop reading. I warned you.