Niners Nation
49ers game review: The back-breaking play that left John Lynch screaming (paywall) “The big play was part of a game in which the 49ers missed a season-high 18 tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, a reason they missed out on a chance to win the NFC West title and claim the conference’s No. 1 seed. The sloppy tackling could have been a sign of fatigue for a banged-up team playing its third game in 13 days, which is why the 49ers desperately needed a first-round playoff bye a win would have provided. After the 49ers missed 15 tackles in a 26-8 win at Cleveland on Nov. 30, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said the following week’s bye came at a “perfect time” for his gassed group.“
49ers head to Philadelphia in wild-card game as George Kittle doesn’t get his wish (paywall) “The biggest story of Philadelphia’s season has been their sputtering attack under rookie coordinator Kevin Patullo, who has kept his play-calling duties amid repeated questions to head coach Nick Sirianni about his performance. The Eagles have slipped to 24th in the NFL in total offense after they ranked eighth last year despite retaining a star-studded cast of skill-position players that also includes QB Jalen Hurts and wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
After a 13-12 win at Buffalo on Dec. 28, Sirianni said he needed to help Patullo after Philadelphia had one first down and 16 yards in the second half while Hurts went 0-for-7 passing.“
Kawakami: Can the 49ers fight their way through the hard road? ‘Oh, we’re ready for it’ (paywall)
“The 49ers’ biggest disappointment on Saturday: Their red-hot offense was shut down (gaining a season-low 173 yards after racking up 430 or more in each of their previous three games) by the Seahawks’ fast and physical defense. There is no way the 49ers will last long if this happens again in the playoffs.
The biggest bright side: The 49ers’ vulnerable defense bent and bent against Seattle’s offense but held up as well as could be expected in the many times that the Seahawks got into 49ers’ territory and gave up just one touchdown.
Put those two things together and … maybe Purdy’s offense can rev up again. The 49ers will need this. And maybe the defense can continue to bandage things together for a little while longer, until Warner can make it back in a few weeks.“
49ers’ inescapable flaw grows more glaring vs. Seahawks, an ominous sign for playoffs (paywall)
“Six days after the Chicago Bears had seven plays of 20 yards or more against the San Francisco defense, the Seahawks had four more. What should be most concerning to Lynch and the 49ers is that two of those were runs, including a 27-yard Zach Charbonnet touchdown on which one safety, Brown, was blocked out of the play, and the other, Malik Mustapha, whiffed on a tackle attempt. A third explosive play was merely a short toss to Walker, in which he gained the bulk...
