The San Francisco beat the Seattle Seahawks 41-23 Saturday afternoon in an exciting win at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, advancing to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.
Twenty-three-year-old rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, in his first career playoff start, took the team one step closer to a Super Bowl ring by winning the NFC Wild Card game. He stepped up as veteran Jimmy Garoppolo was unable to play with a broken foot, according to KPIX.
The team’s next opponent will be decided after the long wild-card weekend wraps. If the Minnesota Vikings (13-4) defeat the New York Giants (9-7-1) tomorrow, the Niners will play the Vikings, according to Sports Illustrated. If the Giants upset and win, San Francisco will play the winner of the Tampa Bay Buccanneers (8-9) and Dallas Cowboys (12-5) on Monday night.
The Seahawks put up a good fight for the first half — Seattle even took a 17-16 halftime lead, after touchdowns from running back Kenneth Walker III and wide receiver DK Metcalf.
However, the Niners soon pulled ahead. They outscored the Seahawks 25-6 in the second half. The Niners scored on each of its possessions in the second half, according to KTVU.
Overall, Purdy’s strong game took the Niners ahead as he completed 18 out of 30 passes, for 332 yards, including for three passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, and a fun two-point conversion. In fact, the shakeup in the Niners’ quarterbacks have given the team a record of becoming the first team to have consecutive five-game winning streaks by different quarterbacks since the 14-0 Miami Dolphins in 1972, according to NFL Research.
The 49ers finished the regular season on a 10-game win streak (5 wins by Jimmy Garoppolo, 5 by Brock Purdy)
The last team to have different QBs w/ consecutive 5+ game win streaks was the 1972 Dolphins (Bob Griese & Earl Morrall)
This is the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Dolphins
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) January 9, 2023
And now, Purdy seems to be poised to start in the next few playoff game — according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, even if first stringer Garoppolo, who started for the Niners during Super Bowl LIV when they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, could recover and return, it would be as backup to Purdy.
Image of Brock Purdy scrambling during Seattle Seahawks playoff game at Levi’s Stadium on January 14, 2023 in Santa Clara, California via Getty Images.
