Instant analysis of 49ers’ 41-6 divisional-playoff loss at No. 1-seed Seattle

SEATTLE – One of the most injury-riddled yet successful seasons in 49ers history is done, finished off by their second-largest playoff defeat ever.

Saturday night’s 41-6 blowout loss to the top-seeded Seahawks ended the short-staffed 49ers’ season, one win shy of the NFC Championship Game and three weeks from Super Bowl LX on their home field.

Starting with Rashid Shaheed’s 95-yard kick return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff, the 49ers staked the Seahawks to an immediate 7-0 lead … which grew to 10-0, then 17-0.

The 49ers (13-6) can now take time and tend to their vast casualties before returning next fall for coach Kyle Shanahan’s 10th season. This was the most lopsided loss in his tenure.

The Seahawks (15-3) scored on seven of their first eight possessions, including three touchdown runs by Kenneth Walker III, to build that 41-6 lead with still over 12 minutes to spare in the 49ers’ season.

By halftime, the 49ers were down 24-6. Could Brock Purdy channel the 2023 team’s comeback powers, in which a 24-7 halftime deficit was overcome to beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 for the NFC Championship at Levi’s Stadium?

Nope.

Once linebacker Ernest Jones IV nudged out Luke Farrell for a third-quarter interception, the Seahawks eventually converted it into a 15-yard touchdown run by Walker for a 34-6 cushion. Another Purdy turnover came with 9: 12 remaining, on a strip-sack fumble forced by DeMarcus Lawrence.

The 49ers had won seven straight divisional-round games since 2011, including their past two on the road, at Carolina (2014) and at Green Bay (2021). Their biggest playoff defeat: 49-3 in the 1986 season’s divisional round at the New York Giants, who infamously injured Joe Montana along the way.

Two weeks ago, Seattle beat the host 49ers 13-3 to lock up the No. 1 seed. The Seahawks also gained an eight-day rest advantage as the 49ers forged ahead as a sixth-seed wild card, which rallied to win its playoff opener 23-19 at Philadelphia against the defending champion Eagles.

Here, the Seahawks seized upon the 49ers’ depleted defense, with Fred Warner watching in sweats from the sideline rather than being rushed back from ankle surgery three months ago.

False hope perhaps came pregame as Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold did not warm up because of Thursday’s oblique strain. Darnold did enough (12-of-17, 124 yards, one touchdown) that he was relieved with 9 minutes remaining, and the home crowd was cheering for Drew Lock.

A few minutes later, Purdy was pulled for Mac Jones, whose 5-3 record as a fill-in starter earlier in the season played a critical factor in this playoff-bound season while Purdy recovered from a toe injury, which occurred in their Week 1 win here.

Purdy went out with 140 passing yards (15-of-27, one interception, one lost fumble), and 37 rushing yards, which were two more than Christian McCaffrey, who sustained a shoulder stinger just before halftime.

Essentially, a defeatist tone was set once Shaheed zoomed through the 49ers on his 95-yard kick return, eluding Chase Lucas, Luke Gifford and, alas, kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who tried to trip Shaheed at the 55-yard line.

The 49ers then botched their opening possessions, from a fourth-down run-and-pitch by Kyle Juszczyk to a fumbled reception by Jake Tonges, who started in place of George Kittle (torn Achilles in Sunday’s wild-card win at Philadelphia).

Even after the opening kick, the Seahawks kept scoring and scoring, from a 31-yard Jason Myers field goal to a 4-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Darrell Luter Jr. got beat in coverage while never looking for the ball. He was in for the benched Renardo Green, who was getting an earful on the sideline from Shanahan for blown coverage on an earlier 21-yard catch.

Piñeiro field goals from 40 and 56 yards pulled the 49ers within 17-6 with 4 ½ minutes until halftime. The offense seemingly found a rhythm in the second quarter by working from the 5-yard line to the Seattle 38, but it stalled out in part by a double flea-flicker screen (1-yard gain by Demarcus Robinson) and a third-down pass Ricky Pearsall couldn’t scoop in at the Seattle 23.

The Seahawks went ahead 24-6 once Walker got past Marques Sigle’s attempted tackle for a 7-yard touchdown. Earlier on that drive, Shaheed resurfaced for a 30-yard run to the 49ers’ 36-yard line at the 2-minute warning.

Seattle’s sizeable halftime lead came despite just 68 passing yards from Darnold, who was 7-of-12 in the first half while likely impacted by Thursday’s oblique strain that kept him out of pregame warmups.

As McCaffrey sat out the opening series after halftime with a lingering stinger to his left shoulder, that drive saw Jauan Jennings make a third-down conversion, Jake Tonges exit with a foot injury, and Purdy get sacked on third down. The Seahawks’ lead grew to 27-6 on a 24-yard field goal, with rookie C.J. West sacking Darnold on the drive.

Now that 49ers defense could be losing its coordinator, Robert Saleh, who reprised his 2017-20 role this season and is being interviewed for multiple head-coach openings.