Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy details how halftime adjustments on offense led to 25 points in the second half of the 49ers’ 41-23 wild-card playoff win over the Seahawks.
The 49ers' 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Saturday's NFC wild-card playoff game was dominant in more ways than one.
Along with rookie quarterback Brock Purdy putting on a historic performance in his first NFL playoff start, the 49ers, as a whole, did something that hadn't been accomplished before: They beat Seahawks coach Pete Carroll after being down to end the first half in a postseason game.
Carroll now is 6-1 in playoff games in which his team led at halftime after San Francisco's second-half flurry eliminated Seattle at Levi's Stadium.
As the clock ticked down at the end of the first half, the 49ers were up two, 16-14, in an entertaining exhibition of offense. However, on first-and-10, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith got free from San Francisco's defense and slid to end the play.
49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward dove into Smith and was called for a costly penalty, moving the Seahawks up 15 yards. Jason Myers then successfully kicked a go-ahead, 56-yard field goal to push Seattle ahead 17-16.
Despite unnecessarily being down to start the third quarter, San Francisco remained poised for the rest of the game, scoring 25 total points to Seattle's six -- which came in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. With the win, the 49ers have beaten the same team three times in the same season.
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Carroll's undefeated streak dated to 1997, when he coached the New England Patriots to a 17-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Game after leading 7-0 heading into halftime.
Then in the 2011 NFC Wild Card Game, the Seahawks held a 24-20 lead after two quarters against the New Orleans Saints. Seattle eventually won 41-36.
In 2014, Seattle again faced New Orleans, this time in the NFC Divisional Round. After leading 16-0 at halftime, the Seahawks pulled out the 23-15 win.
One year later, Carroll and the Seahawks faced the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Divisional Round and led 14-10 at halftime. Once the dust settled, Seattle walked away with a 31-17 win.
Against the Detroit Lions in the 2017 NFC Wild Card Game, Seattle held a 10-3 lead at halftime. The Seahawks won comfortably, 26-6.
Most recently, in 2019, Carroll led Seattle to a 10-3 halftime lead against the Philadelphia Eagles. Eventually, the Seahawks won 17-9.
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From Purdy high-stepping on a first-down run to Christian McCaffrey's 68-yard gain being the third-longest run in 49ers playoff history, San Francisco was clicking on all cylinders.
The same can't be said for Carroll and the Seahawks, as the former's impressive streak and the latter's season both ended.