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- Mar 20, 2019
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The San Francisco 49ers are no longer unbeaten and the NFC West race just got a whole lot more interesting.
It took until the final play of overtime but Jason Myers converted a 42-yard field goal to lift the Seattle Seahawks to a 27-24 victory over the 49ers on Monday night.
Russell Wilson scrambled for a critical 18 yards on third-and-2 with just over a minute left in overtime to move Seattle into field goal range. After stopping the clock with four seconds left to play, Myers rebounded from missing three kicks a week ago against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to deliver the game-winning boot for the Seahawks. It was the second straight week Seattle needed overtime to get a victory.
The 49ers fall to 8-1 on the season while the Seahawks close the gap in the NFC West by moving to 8-2 ahead of their bye next week. Seattle will hold the tiebreaker over the 49ers for time being as well with a Week 17 matchup between the two teams still to come.
Seattle appeared as those they could win the game on the opening drive of the extra period before Wilson was intercepted by Dre Greenlaw to turn away the Seahawks inside the 5-yard line. After trading failed possessions from there, 49ers kicker Chase McLaughlin had the chance to win it with a 47-yard field goal, which was the exact same distance he converted with one second left in regulation to send the game to the extra session. But McLaughlin yanked the kick wide left to give Seattle one more chance and ultimately the victory.
It was game the 49ers appeared they would completely dominate for much of the first half. San Francisco out-gained Seattle by a 118-5 margin through the first quarter en route to an early 10-point lead.
McLaughlin converted a 43-yard field goal to give the 49ers an early 3-0 lead at the end of a 13-play, 50-yard opening drive. After a second straight three-and-out by Seattle, the 49ers marched 83 yards in seven plays before Kendrick Bourne beat Jamar Taylor for a 10-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 10-0.
The Seahawks went the entire first half without gaining more than a single first down on an offensive possession. However, their defense came up with the big play needed to keep them in the game. Jarran Reed‘s first sack of the season came with a strip of Jimmy Garoppolo, which was quickly scooped up Jadeveon Clowney for a 10-yard touchdown and a massive momentum swing.
The 49ers would make their own massive defensive play right before the half as Jaquiski Tartt ripped the ball free of DK Metcalf at the 2-yard line to prevent the Seahawks from taking the lead into halftime.
K'Waun Williams would strip Rashaad Penny on Seattle’s opening drive of the third quarter but the 49ers weren’t able to capitalize. They elected to for a fourth-and-2 at Seattle’s 33-yard line rather than let McLaughlin try a 51-yard field goal and Garoppolo couldn’t connect with Deebo Samuel for a turnover on downs.
Samuel still led the 49ers with eight receptions for 112 yards.
After being manhandled in the first quarter, Seattle’s defense took control for the next two quarters. With Emmanuel Sanders out with a rib injury, the 49ers offense stagnated. The Seahawks held San Francisco to just 77 yards combined in the second and third quarters and forced three 49ers turnovers.
The third turnover came as a Garoppolo pass bounced off Bourne’s hands and into the waiting arms of Quandre Diggs, who was making his Seattle debut after a trade from the Detroit Lions last month. Diggs returned the interception 44 yards to the 49ers’ 16-yard line. Three plays later, Wilson floated a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Hollister to give Seattle the lead.
Wilson completed 24 of 34 passes for 232 yards with a touchdown, interception and lost fumble for Seattle.
Four plays into the 49ers’ next drive, Clowney sacked Garoppolo with another forced fumble that was recovered by Poona Ford at the 49ers 24-yard line. Chris Carson would score on a 1-yard touchdown run to increase Seattle’s lead to 21-10 late in the third quarter.
Carson carried 25 times for 89 yards and a touchdown.
Another defensive score got the 49ers back in the game.
K’Waun Williams and Arik Armstead combined for a strip-sack of Wilson that ended up in the arms of right tackle Germain Ifedi. As Ifedi tried to run with the ball he was swarmed over with Fred Warner punching the ball free. DeForest Buckner recovered the twice-fumbled ball for a 12-yard touchdown to close the Seattle lead. A two-point conversion from Garoppolo to Bourne made it a 21-18 game with 12 minutes left to play.
After a Seattle three-and-out, Garoppolo led the 49ers on an eight-play drive for the tying score. A bobbled ball was nearly intercepted by Seattle before McLaughlin drilled a 39-yard field goal to even the game at 21-21 with 6:17 remaining.
The Seahawks managed to burn over four minutes off the clock before Jason Myers converted a 46-yard field goal to give Seattle a 24-21 lead with 1:45 left to play.
Garoppolo gave Seattle a pair of interception chances on the final drive of regulation, but ultimately led the 49ers the necessary distance to set up a 47-yard game-tying field goal from McLaughlin to send the game to overtime. McLaughlin drilled the field goal to extend the game an extra 10 minutes before the Seahawks earned the walk-off win.
Garoppolo completed 24 of 46 passes for 248 yards with a touchdown, interception and two lost fumbles.