49ers Miss Chance To Separate In Jumbled NFC Playoff Race

SEATTLE (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo believed the play was there. There apt was going to beryllium an unfastened people with each the attraction focused connected George Kittle.

But the walk ne'er got to its intended target, deflected astatine the enactment of scrimmage by Carlos Dunlap. When Garoppolo’s propulsion deed the turf, gone was San Francisco’s three-game triumph streak and a accidental for the 49ers to abstracted themselves successful the messy NFC playoff picture.

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San Francisco walked retired of Seattle with a 30-23 nonaccomplishment Sunday aft its discourtesy was unopen retired successful the 2nd half, stopped astatine the Seattle 3 successful the last seconds.

The 49ers took possession 98 yards from the extremity portion with 4:03 remaining aft Gerald Everett fumbled. Garoppolo and Kittle led the 49ers heavy into Seattle territory, toward the aforesaid extremity wherever Fred Warner made a game-saving tackle to triumph the NFC West rubric for San Francisco successful the 2019 regular-season finale.

But determination was nary solemnisation this time. Garoppolo’s third-down walk intended for Trent Sherfield was breached up and the fourth-down propulsion ne'er made it to the extremity zone.

“We’re each disappointed, precise frustrated,” 49ers manager Kyle Shanahan said. “We felt we had a batch of self-inflicted stuff.”

It was a substance of mistakes, turnovers and an inability to get the tally crippled established that led to San Francisco losing for the archetypal clip since falling to Arizona successful Week 9.

Garoppolo was liable for a fewer of those mistakes. He was 20 of 30 for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns, but besides his seventh and eighth interceptions of the season.

San Francisco was capable to clasp disconnected his archetypal pick, but the 2nd 1 by Quandre Diggs successful the 3rd 4th led to the winning points for Seattle connected Russell Wilson’s 12-yard TD walk to Tyler Lockett.

The 49ers besides fumbled the opening kickoff of the 2nd half, and, portion Seattle didn’t people aft its ain turnover, it did pb to Garoppolo getting sacked by Dunlap for a safety.

The nonaccomplishment dropped the 49ers (6-6) into a necktie with Washington based connected record. Right now, that would beryllium bully capable for San Francisco to marque the playoffs, but determination are 5 teams astatine either 6-7 oregon 5-7 down the 49ers.

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Even Seattle astatine 4-8 isn’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, and it swept the play bid from the 49ers.

“It’s 1 of those losses that you can’t fto this instrumentality with you for excessively long,” Garoppolo said. “Watch the film, beryllium hard connected ourselves similar we ever are. I mean, we’re precise captious of each small things. But Cincinnati is going to travel up existent quick.”

The information San Francisco had a accidental connected the last thrust spoke to the craziness of the game. Seattle scored connected a 73-yard tally disconnected a fake punt, but besides turned the shot implicit doubly adjacent the extremity line, some by Everett. His bobble led to an end-zone interception for K’Waun Williams successful the 3rd 4th and his fumble arsenic Seattle went successful for a clinching people precocious was forced by Azeez Al-Shaair and recovered by Dontae Johnson.

There was besides the safety, a missed tract extremity and a missed other point.

“It was 1 of the wildest games I’ve ever been a portion of. Just the archetypal fractional was perfectly crazy,” Kittle said.

San Francisco was importantly short-handed playing without starting linebackers Warner and Marcell Harris, and do-everything violative limb Deebo Samuel.

Kittle picked up for the lack of Samuel with 9 catches for 181 yards and touchdowns of 24 and 48 yards. It was the champion crippled for Kittle since having 15 catches for 183 yards aboriginal past play against Philadelphia.

But the 49ers’ tally crippled that had averaged 178.3 yards implicit the past 3 wins ne'er got started. Elijah Mitchell had 22 carries for 66 yards, and San Francisco finished with 71 yards rushing total.

“It’s ever conscionable specified a dogfight betwixt america erstwhile we play each other,” Garoppolo said. “We cognize we’re getting into but we’ve conscionable got to beryllium much ready.”

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Copyright 2021 The Associated Press.