Niners Nation
This is not a bunch of woulda, coulda, shoulda. The 49ers were scheduled to play on Saturday, and they lost 13-3 to the Seattle Seahawks that night. Lost is not the right word: they got suffocated Saturday. It doesn’t help matters when offensive tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall are both out for the game. Two valuable pieces on offense are missing when one of the best, if not the best, defenses in the league is coming to town.
The thing is, they may have been able to play. Well, if the game was on Sunday, according to Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan didn’t want to tempt fate despite the two pushing hard through the week. When asked if playing on Sunday would have made a difference, Shanahan acknowledged in the affirmative.
“A much better chance.”
There’s no guarantee they would have played, and there’s certainly no guarantee it would have changed the outcome of the game, but it certainly would have helped.
Yes, the game plan changes, but it’s not like Pearsall instantly makes that interception vanish. Maybe Trent Williams helps with the running game slightly, but the Seahawks’ run defense is lethal. It doesn’t have them recover the fumble that bounced the other way, nor does it have them stop a third-and-17 conversion. Maybe it makes things interesting at the end, but things weren’t going the 49ers’ way at all. Those two wouldn’t have changed things.
Or do they?
Without Pearsall, the 49ers turned to Jauan Jennings for much of the night. Jennings had the most yards receiving with 35 on four receptions. Meanwhile, the only other wide receiver to touch the ball was Demarcus Robinson with three receptions and 24 yards receiving. Kendrick Bourne was quiet all night.
In Williams’ place, was Austen Pleasants. How did that work? Well…
I want to say it could have been worse, since Purdy did use some of that slipperiness he’s known for, but seeing the 49ers’ starting quarterback on the ground when the game is pretty much over isn’t the most significant result when your star left tackle is out.
Fortunately, Purdy should be ok. Shanahan said in his post-game press conference that the medical team checked out Purdy, and he was good to go back in.
Maybe a day would have helped the 49ers; perhaps it wouldn’t have. Unfortunately, the league felt Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers for the…whatever seed they are playing for was more intriguing than two 10+ win teams in the NFC West playing for the No. 1 Seed. Or they just wanted to be sure the East Coasters got to bed on time.
Do you think things would have changed drastically with one more day, with Pearsall and Williams active? Or was a loss to the Seahawks inevitable?
