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LANDOVER, Md. — The 49ers let the lowly Washington Commanders hang around for a while Sunday before finally shutting the door in the second half, clinching the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed in the process.
It wasn’t a dominant performance, but the 49ers made enough plays in key moments en route to a crucial 27-10 victory at FedEx Field on New Year’s Eve.
Cornerback Charvarius Ward made one of the big plays early in the fourth quarter, picking off a pass from Washington quarterback Sam Howell at the San Francisco 2-yard line and helping the 49ers maintain a comfortable lead. did. The 49ers then drove all over the field and broke the game with Brandon Aiyuk’s touchdown catch.
The 49ers improved to 12-4 and became the NFC’s top seed with a playoff bye week just minutes after the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a crushing loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Here are three takeaways from the 49ers’ win over the 4-12 Commanders in Week 17.
Purdy’s rebounding game
It wasn’t a spectacular performance for Brock Purdy, but it was much better than the last time he took the field.
The quarterback had a game more in line with what he’s been doing since taking over as the 49ers’ starter last year.
And he needed it.
Purdy was coming back from the worst game of his career, in which he threw four interceptions in a 33-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.
Purdy bought some time in the fourth quarter with a scramble, directed Aiyuk to open space in the end zone, and landed a strike for a 17-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach.
The play gave the 49ers a 27-10 lead with 9:20 remaining.
The 49ers’ offense didn’t produce many big plays, and Purdy didn’t have to work hard on his first-quarter TD throw, completing a shovel pass to wide receiver Deebo Samuel and turning upfield for 2 yards. The score was “Reception”. ”
Purdy completed 22 of 28 passes for 230 yards, setting a record along the way. He became the 49ers’ single-season passing leader, surpassing Jeff Garcia’s record of 4,278 yards in 2000.
More importantly, he avoided the critical run that plagued him against the Ravens on Christmas night.
Mitchell will replace McCaffrey.
Elijah Mitchell was great when he was on the field for the 49ers. His problem is that he hasn’t been able to stay healthy for long periods of time in his three NFL seasons.
On Sunday, Mitchell was called up for a nursing issue with Christian McCaffrey’s legs. McCaffrey left midway through the second half with a calf injury, according to a team report, but Mitchell responded with seven carries for 40 yards on the first drive of the second half.
Mitchell’s 2-yard touchdown run with 5:44 left in the third quarter gave the 49ers a 20-10 lead.
McCaffrey appeared to be suffering from a quadriceps or hip flexor issue on his left side and was unable to compete. He entered with one carry before exiting with an issue with his right calf.
Mitchell had a team-high 17 carries for 80 yards and his first touchdown of the season. His only two TDs in 2022 came in the regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
Mitchell missed 18 games over the past two seasons due to injury. He missed five games as a rookie in 2021, but still gained 963 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns.
NFC summary
The 49ers got the job done Sunday, but they also received a lot of help to earn the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed.
The Detroit Lions fell out of contention for the top seed after a controversial 20-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night. And on Sunday, the Cardinals defeated the Eagles 35-31. The Eagles entered the game as the only team able to knock the 49ers off the top spot in the NFC.
The 49ers are now in a position to rest some players, avoiding a crucial regular season finale against the Rams, one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Los Angeles won six of its last seven games before Sunday, with its only loss during that span coming in overtime at Baltimore.
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