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SANTA CLARA — Levi’s Stadium has never had a bigger, louder and crazier game in its 5 1/2-year history, and losing Monday night’s zany affair will go down as the 49ers’ most painful loss there.
Gone went starter after starter to injury. Gone went an early, 10-0 lead. Gone went the football, on appalling strip sacks and off receivers’ hands. Gone wide left went a potential winning field goal attempt in overtime.
The 49ers’ undefeated record is gone.
The division rival Seattle Seahawks won 27-24 on Jason Myers’ 42-yard field goal as the overtime clock expired.
“As great as it was to go undefeated, we were under the realization that in the NFL it’s almost impossible to do that,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “And unfortunately (a loss) came tonight, and we’ll work our darndest to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Delaying that defeat was rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw’s interception at the 4-yard line in overtime. That gave the 49ers (8-1) the ball one last time to either deliver winning points or more miserable mistakes. Jimmy Garoppolo and a worn-down, emotionally exhausted unit got the ball close enough for fill-in kicker Chase McLaughlin to try a 47-yard field goal.
McLaughlin, who made from that same attempt to force overtime, missed the potential winner with 3:06 remaining.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said he did not consider going for it on fourth-and-1, noting how McLaughlin was “3-for-3 at the time and felt it was close enough for him.”
Earlier, the Seahawks seized on 49ers turnovers and converted three into touchdowns, giving the 49ers an 11-point deficit with 1:42 until the fourth quarter. Even though the 49ers rallied to tie things with 6:21 remaining, the Seahawks used Myers’ 46-yard field goal at 1:49 to retake the lead.
The 49ers’ improbable, fourth-quarter rally took off with one of the most bizarre touchdowns in 49ers history. As blitzing nickel back K’Waun Williams sacked Russell Wilson, Seahawks offensive tackle Germain Ifedi stripped the ball from Wilson, only to fumble it when hit by linebacker Fred Warner and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, the latter scooping it up and returning it 12 yards for a touchdown.
“That was a crazy play,” Warner said. “… I don’t know how the tackle ended up having the ball in his hands. I was confused at first, then I saw DeFo grab him, so I took a shot at it, it popped out, DeFo made a heck of a play by running it back and giving us some life.”
Garoppolo’s ensuing two-point conversion pass to Kendrick Bourne pulled the 49ers within 21-18, with 12:01 to go.
Hurt in the carnage were wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (ribs), nose tackle D.J. Jones (groin), linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (concussion), running back Matt Breida (ankle), defensive end Ronald Blair (knee) and center Weston Richburg (hand). Blair’s injury appears the most severe, and he will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, as will Sanders and Jones.
All that made the 49ers even more short-handed as they played without tight end George Kittle (knee, ankle) for the first time in 31 games, as well as kicker Robbie Gould (quadriceps) and linebacker Kwon Alexander (pectoral; injured reserve).
The 49ers saw their shutout bid end when Jadeveon Clowney scored off Jarran Reed’s strip sack of Garoppolo (12-of-20, 140 yards) with 2:51 left in the half. Seattle closed in on its second touchdown until Tartt came back into the field of play and stripped DK Metcalf at the 2, rescuing 1:02 before halftime.
STUDS
K Chase McLaughlin: OK, so he missed a 47-yarder that could have won it in overtime, but remember that there wouldn’t have been OT if not for the 47-yarder he did make with one second left in regulation. Filling in for an injured Robbie Gould, McLaughlin made his initial three field-goal attempts, starting with a 43-yarder on his first attempt to cap a long opening drive (13 plays, 6 1/2 minutes).
LB Fred Warner: He got credited for forcing the fumble that Buckner recovered for a fourth-quarter touchdown. Warner also delivered the first two sacks of his career. His career sack was a beauty, blasting through on third down for a 9-yard loss in the second quarter. Playing without Kwon Alexander next to him, Warner earlier showed his range and power.
WR Deebo Sanders: The 49ers’ largest, most vocal crowd yet at Levi’s Stadium celebrated Sanders’ 30-yard, second-series reception by chanting, “Dee-bo! Dee-bo!” More was to come. A 24-yard, fourth-quarter reception set up a tying field goal, and an 8-yard reception before another field goal at the end of regulation gave him eight catches for 112 yards.
CB K’Waun Williams: His fourth-quarter sack on Wilson sparked the 49ers’ comeback, and he forced a pair of fumbles. One fumble came after he knifed into the backfield to strip Chris Carson of the second half’s opening possession, and Buckner recovered.
DT DeForest Buckner: His two fumble recoveries kept alive the 49ers’ hopes, and his first career touchdown sure was timely.
SS Jaquiski Tartt: Stripping DK Metcalf of the ball at the 2-yard line preserved the 49ers’ lead just before halftime. It was his first takeaway this season and first career fumble recovery.
NT D.J. Jones: He bulldozed center Joey Hunt and sacked Russell Wilson to force a three-and-out on the Seahawks first possession. Later, Jones’ speed helped force a Wilson pass that Jimmie Ward nearly intercepted, but a groin injury ended Jones’ night prematurely.
FB Kyle Juszczyk: In his return from a four-game absence, made some signature lead blocks to spring Tevin Coleman, including one on a 22-yard gain.
RB Tevin Coleman: Sure, he can bust loose for a 22-yard gain, but how about that blitz pickup to protect Garoppolo near the goal line on a 19-yard completion to Sanders?
DUDS
Injury woes: Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (ribs) and nose tackle D.J. Jones (groin) left in the second quarter, and strong-side linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (concussion) left his first career start shortly after halftime. Center Weston Richburg (left hand) also came out in the second quarter but returned after halftime.
Pass protection: Garoppolo got sacked five times and lost fumbles on two of them. He’d been sacked only 12 times through eight games, and he figured to have better protection this game with the return of starting tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey.
QB Jimmy Garoppolo: He wasn’t sharp, nor were his receivers or blockers. In the end, he finished 24-of-46 for 248 yards with one touchdown, one interception and five sacks.
WR Kendrick Bourne: He had horrendous drops in the clutch, including one in the red zone that forced the 49ers to settle for a tying field goal. A third-quarter pass went off his hands for a Quandre Diggs interception that set up a Seahawks go-ahead touchdown. It was a contrast to his first-half heroics, including the 49ers’ first touchdown on a 10-yard reception on third-and-8. He had a 16-yard conversion on third-and-10 on their first drive, and he had another third-down conversion before halftime.
C Ben Garland: Pressed into action because of Richburg’s hand injury, Garland allowed Jarran Reed to slip by him and sack Garoppolo, whose fumble was scooped up and returned for a touchdown by Jadeveon Clowney 2:51 before halftime.
WR Marquise Goodwin: Playing for the first time in three games, he dropped a third-down pass in the red zone and forced the 49ers’ opening drive to settle for a field goal. Garoppolo was 0-for-3 targeting Goodwin that opening series.
Punt coverage: Goodwin made a unique debuted as a gunner, lining up about 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage. He raced down field in time, and so did Raheem Mostert, interfered with punt returner Tyler Lockett for a 49ers penalty.
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