Niners Nation
The Indianapolis Colts only attempted two passes beyond 20 yards against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15. On the first play from scrimmage against the San Francisco 49ers, Philip Rivers “let it fly.” His first throw traveled 45 yards.
That would be the last mistake Rivers made on the drive. Tatum Bethune was on Jonathan Taylor on third down, and that was a mistake. Robert Saleh thought he could get away with playing man coverage because he was facing an immobile quarterback. That was another mishap.
The Colts’ pass catchers were always going to be a mismatch against the 49ers’ back seven. Rivers’ processing ability was on full display on the first drive. The Colts took advantage of the man coverage the 49ers ran and jumped out to an early 7-0 lead.
Brock Purdy’s first pass looked like it may have been a mistake, but George Kittle made an incredible catch to move the chains for 26 yards down the middle of the field. Christian McCaffrey ran for 17 yards on the following three plays, and Demarcus Robinson won on a 22-yard route to tie the game three minutes later at seven apiece.
Ji’Ayir Brown made a fantastic special-teams play on the ensuing kickoff when he forced a fumble. The drive started with a 12-yard pass to Kittle. After McCaffrey ran for 11 yards, he caught a two-yard touchdown pass to give the 49ers a 14-7 lead.
Shane Steichen schemed up a scenario where wide receiver Josh Downs was being defended by Bryce Huff. The results were as expected. Before that, Rivers completed an 11-yard pass and a 17-yarder. He capped off the drive with a 16-yard pass to Alec Pierce on 3rd & goal from the 16. It was a drive that was humbling for the 49ers, even as banged up as they were. The score was tied at 14.
Kendrick Bourne had his 500,000 taken away from him. Well, technically, it was on Bourne for not completing the catch to the ground. On the previous play, Jauan Jennings also dropped a pass. There were no signs of either offense stopping one another. The only thing stopping each offense was themselves.
But Purdy scrambled for nine yards, and then snuck for a first down on 4th and 1. That type of mobility will bail out any offense. The 49ers already were operating at an elite level, so adding in Purdy’s legs felt like a cheat code. After McCaffrey picked up a couple of first downs, Kittle found the end zone once more to give the Niners a 21-14 lead.
The 49ers’ defense was the first unit to get a stop. They forced a three-and-out, and the offense bled the clock for over minutes. They settled for a field goal, but that widened the lead to double digits, making it 24-14.
The 49ers appeared to have gotten another stop when Darrell Luter broke up a pass on third down. But Luter was flagged for a questionable pass interference call. So,...
