McCaffrey owns key drop, 49ers lament missed chances in loss - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Even as the Seattle Seahawks dominated them from the opening kickoff, the San Francisco 49ers ' dreams of stealing the NFC's top seed were still alive with a little more than 10 minutes remaining in Saturday's game.

After struggling to find any offensive rhythm in the first 49-plus minutes, the Niners reached Seattle's 6-yard line with 10:27 to go with a chance to score their first touchdown and trim the Seahawks' lead to three.

Quarterback Brock Purdy took the shotgun snap and fired into the right flat for running back Christian McCaffrey. But Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe tipped the pass, forcing McCaffrey to turn his shoulders back to the inside as he tried in vain to haul it in.

The ball and San Francisco's hopes of winning the NFC West bounced off McCaffrey's hands and into the arms of Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas for an interception that effectively ended the chance of a comeback as Seattle escaped with a 13-3 victory.

When it was over, a dejected McCaffrey shouldered the blame for the missed opportunity.

«It's a play that I have to make,» McCaffrey said. «Absolutely have to make. [I] expect nothing less but to make that play. It's completely on me.»

It was one of a handful of missed chances for the Niners to claim the NFC's top seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

On a night when the Niners mustered 173 yards of offense, their lowest total in a regular-season game since coach Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017, they still had a chance to pull off the victory because of a little special teams luck and a bend-but-don't-break defense.

There was a fourth-and-2 pass that Purdy was unable to get to tight end George Kittle that would have gone for a big play