The Lumen Field house was a-rockin’ and the Seahawks were a-rollin’. This time, there was no stadium takeover by 49ers fans, no legion of “red butts,” the very few who were peppered throughout the 68,000 seats dominated by, sigh, The 12th man. Purdy signaled early to Shanahan that he couldn’t hear his helmet radio. On one play he struggled to convey an audible.
You expect that here, but when the 49ers’ drive to open the second half ended with a sack of Purdy for what felt like a fate-sealer, the stadium shook and trembled.
Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, whose career was revived two seasons back with a year as Purdy’s backup, failed to live up to his reputation as a big-game fumbler-away-er. Darnold’s league-leading 20 turnovers meant nothing, nor did the oblique he injured in practice during the week. He played cleanly and efficiently, brilliantly even on his one touchdown pass.
It was a comprehensive beatdown, proof that Seattle’s 13-3 win — that felt like much more — over the 49ers two weeks earlier was no fluke.
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For the 49ers, it’s all over but the healing — physically and spiritually. Back to earth and back to the drawing board, but spare a good thought for the conclusion of their season of dreams.
