They’re No. 1.
Two months ago, things looked concerning. Monday night was a mess. But on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers traveled across the country on a short week and beat the Washington Commanders, 27-10. Just a few hours away, the Cardinals beat the Eagles, and San Francisco clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed, earning a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
“To be able to come out in a game like this and get the ball rolling again and put up some points and the defense did their thing,…it felt good,” said 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
Purdy set a franchise record for the most passing yards in a season, surpassing Jeff Garcia (4,278). He finished the day 22-of-28 for 230 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a rating of 124.7.
“It’s an honor, to be able to come into an organization with a rich history that this place has and obviously to be able to break a record like that,” Purdy said. “The human side of it is like, cool. I was just a little kid dreaming of playing in the NFL, and to be able to do something like that it’s pretty cool.
“But I have to say, it’s a testament to the team that I have around me. The dudes that I get to throw the ball to, the guys on defense, special teams, our coaches, organization. Everything has been so good for me to come in and they’ve allowed me to have success and so it’s a testament to everybody around me and I’m very thankful.”
It was not a perfect game, but it was a clean game, and that’s what the 49ers needed. After committing five turnovers and over 100 yards in penalties Monday night, they had zero turnovers and only 20 yards in penalties on Sunday.
Defensively, San Francisco looked sluggish, but Charvarius Ward made a game-changing play, as he’s been apt to do all season.
With the 49ers up 20-10 to start the fourth quarter, the Commanders had 3rd-and-8 at the 49ers’ 11-yard line. Quarterback Sam Howell attempted a pass to WR Terry McLuarin, and Ward said, “no dice” as he intercepted the pass at the 5-yard line.
“It feels good, you know, just to make a play for the team,” Ward said. “You know what I’m saying? That was a big point in the game. I know if we got a turnover at that moment of the game, it was gonna be pretty hard for them to beat us. So, it was a big momentum shift for sure.”
Purdy proceeded to march the 49ers 95 yards down the field, ending with a 17-yard TD to Brandon Aiyuk.
What a dime! 🎯#SFvsWAS on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/pepKsQ2H0Q— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 31, 2023
“That was scramble drill, he was directing traffic, telling me where to go and line me up for an easy touchdown,” Aiyuk said.
Aiyuk had a day with seven receptions for 114 yards and one very impressive Brock Purdy touchdown.
Tight end George Kittle went over 1,000 yards in a season for the third time in his career, giving the 49ers four players with at 1,000 scrimmage yards, with Deebo Samuel, Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey being the other three.
When the game was over, and the 49ers had taken care of what they needed to, several players gathered around an iPhone in the tunnel to watch the Cardinals take the lead on the Eagles in the final seconds of their game. They then went into the locker room where the team watched the end of the game together.
Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle celebrating the Cardinals scoring. Cc: @MikeSilver pic.twitter.com/uuxEjXyh7O
— Tracy Sandler (@TracyFGSN) December 31, 2023
“It was sweet to be able to have that kind of moment,” Purdy said. “I grew up sort of watching TV clips and teams together watching and celebrating another team’s win for their case. And for us to be able to do that, I was sort of taking it in. I was like, man, this is something I’ve seen on TV growing up and now we get to all cram into a corner of the locker room and watch on a little TV. So, it was special.”
“These are the moments I’ll remember forever.” Brandon Aiyuk pic.twitter.com/CFItV1IGeh
— Tracy Sandler (@TracyFGSN) December 31, 2023
So now the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Santa Clara.
“We don’t have to get on a plane again until Vegas,” Ward said,
