49ers’ players react to 31-13 win over Seattle

What 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and his players were saying after a 31-13 road win over the Seattle Seahawks to improve to 8-3 and take a commanding lead in the NFC West:

Coach Kyle Shanahan

Potentially serious biceps injury to George Odum and injuries

We’ll have to see if he can come back later. We’ll look into that tomorrow. Charlie Woerner is being evaluated for a concussion, but he cleared and went back on.

Overall

Just getting a win, I feel great. Especially to have three days off after this It’s definitely a different three days when you get a win. The way the defense played tonight was unbelievable, to keep them out of the end zone the whole game. Six sacks, the way our corners played on the outside. Just a real impressive game.

Brock’s TD pass to Aiyuk

I couldn’t believe he was throwing it. The zone coverages guys were so deep, which usually you can check it down underneath and get about 12, but Brock thought he could drop it in over the guy. It was a clear view for all of us and it was just a hell of a throw. Perfect throw, got it over him. I think it was Diggs. It was a big play to seal it.

Difficulty of making that throw

He does it pretty consistently. Very rarely does he check it down and you tell him he missed the deep one. He looks at it that way. He proved to us while the ball was in the air it was the right decision. We’re all holding our breath when he lets it go because the guy was so deep, but Brock’s got some touch and he was able to throw it over ’em. I wouldn’t have known it until he threw it, but once he threw it it obviously was there.

The pick six

They got us on the disguise. They were doing some disguises that got us in a check. It was a double call. I shouldn’t have put that on him. Obviously it wasn’t the check that we wanted and he ended up getting that tip. It was an unfortunate play but it didn’t phase him at all. he came right back and made a hell of a play that sealed it.

The sacks last three games

Just how much we’re rushing as a group has changed. I think after we came back from the bye week I feel like we’ve moved a little better. Obviously adding Chase (Young) helps the group, the depth of it. When we weren’t getting the sacks I still felt we were getting to the quarterback and hitting him, but it takes a whole group to get those numbers. I think our coverage has gotten better too.

Charvarius Ward in coverage

From what I saw he was unbelievable. Don’t get to see all of it. He’s been pretty consistent coming here. I thought he had an unbelievable game here last year on a Thursday night. It seemed very similar today.

Challenge him to cover D.K. Metcalf

That’s definitely how I would like it to be, just how he’s played there in the past, and he didn’t hesitate. He was up for the challenge. He was up for it last year, he was up for it today and didn’t disappoint. He was real impressive.

Christian McCaffrey’s second TD run

It was awesome. I didn’t think it was going to be there, and the way he got in and finished it off, once they get close I’m always starting to look down because I’m thinking of a first-and-goal goal, but Christian finished all of them there. They didn’t look like calls that should have scored but he made it come to life.

Is Purdy a Super Bowl caliber quarterback

The talk of that stuff is so ridiculous. The words elite, Super Bowl quarterback. This is the NFL you have to have a real good team to even have a chance to get there and if you have a really good football team then you’d better have a really good quarterback. And when you do that, you’d better have luck with injuries. You’ve still got to play good defense. You’ve got to do everything. There’s also been a lot of great quarterbacks that haven’t won Super Bowls. The ones who do don’t win them on their own. There’s so many things that go into it. I always kind of hate that conversation.

Winning in Seattle

It always seems to happen here. It’s tough. Especially in that second and third quarter. It always seems to happen here. We get a pick six, their special teams make some big plays and it’s right back there. It’s kind of how it always feels like when we’re here.

Aaron Banks after missing two games with turf toe

Guys like Banks, it was unbelievable that he was able to play today. He got cleared but if we didnt have such a bad situation with losing Zakelj and Burford getting hurt, we wouldn’t have had him play. It’s very impressive.

Fred Warner

What’s been different last three games

I always talk about getting back to our style. I guess ever since we got Chase Young things kind of flipped around, didn’t they? But it’s a combination of things. The rush and the coverage, winning on third down has been crucial for us. I think they were 1-for-9 on third down. That’s winning football all day long.

Uptick in sacks

I feel as long as we’re on top of our job in the back seven, the D-line, they’re so talented and so relentless, as long as we’re sticky in our coverage, they’re going to go out there and eat every time.

Ward vs. D.K. Metcalf

That’ back to back seasons we’ve asked him a tall ask, to follow D.K., being one of the biggest, most physical receivers in the game. Every time I lookup the ball is being thrown downfield and Mooney or Ambry, who ever was in coverage on him, being in position to make a play on the ball. We’re going to need that all eason long.

Eating turkey on the field

It wasn’t too bad. Wasn’t too bad at all. That was a moment I’ll remember forever.

Deommodore Lenoir’s play

One of the best players we have on this team in my opinion. Doesn’t get talked about enough. I love taking the field with him. Has got a nose for the football, physical. Can cover really well.

Nick Bosa

What is working well for pass rush

Execution. Getting back to how we rush. Quarterbacks are holding it a little longer. Our back end is playing awesome. Adding Chase. All those things.

How important to win in Seattle

We know they play us tough. Staying focused through four quarters is big because in a hostile environment, a 14-point lead doesn’t go a very long way. We came into the second half with a mentality that we needed to put our foot on their throat and that’s what we did.

Deebo Samuel

Why the ball came to you so often

The way they were playing and the play-calling from Kyle, it was just wide open.

How well is Brock playing

He’s playing a a high level, especially for what we do and all the plays and stuff we threw at him this week and for him to come out and play the way he played was amazing.

Brandon Aiyuk

Expecting the TD pass to go to you

I thought I had a chance to get it. We were in 22 personnel and there were only two routes being run so I thought I had a chance.

How good a throw

That was a dot

What did you talk about afterward

Just finishing out the game. We closed it out there so we talked about that.

Christian McCaffrey

Second TD, did you think you’d get in

I think any time you run behind this O-line you just have to have a lot of trust and patience and they did such a great job. The tight ends blocked well, Juice blocks so well. These guys work so hard in the run game. You’ve got to trust it, stay on your landmarks and you never know when the hole can open.

After the pick six

I think we just had to get back in rhythm. Stuff like that happens. I don’t think we blinked, we just got back at it. There’s no panic with our team. There’s no panic with any of us. It’s about playing efficient football and not looking at the scoreboard.

TD pass to Aiyuk

Ice in his veins. He’s such a good player, man. He makes plays all over the field and watching just how consistent he is back in the huddle, he’s never too high, never to low. He’s consistent. Whenever he’s got the ball in his hands, there’s a play to be made and he can make it.

Fixing his helmet with screwdrivers

I felt like Frankenstein

Eating turkey on the field

That was awesome. It was really good turkey too. I have no idea how they kept all the dishes hot. I was bummed I didn’t get the sweet potatoes with the marshmallows.

Brock Purdy

On pick-six

I tried to get the ball to Christian. Being backed up, it felt like I was in the end zone and wanted to get the ball out. Looking back at it now, Christian had a lot of guys around him. I didn’t put him in the best position or our team in the best position, so I have to learn from it.  We’re up by three touchdowns, then we just give them one like that. Now it’s real and the game is back into play. For myself, it was I need to be smart with the ball but still have an aggressive edge and not be afraid to rip stuff in tight windows still, and move the ball, get first downs and score touchdowns. That was my mindset. Obviously it sucked going through it and have to learn from it. But in terms of who I am playing this position, that can’t change.

On TD to Aiyuk

It’s not like, ‘Alright, I messed up and I have to prove to myself or my team that I can make a big play to get us back in.’ It’s nothing like that. We’d actually ran the ball pretty well that drive. For myself, it was to be smart with the ball, take what the defense gives me. We had a rollout setup play, and I just went through my progression; I felt the safety came down just enough for BA to get behind him, and I ripped it. There was a guy underneath that was a checkdown that was open too that would have been a big gain for us to eat the clock. I went through the progression, trusted in B.A. being there and just let it rip.

On McCaffrey

I don’t know if people realize the open field, what looks like isn’t much, he just keeps his motor going. Guys might get behind him and push. On that play, alright we’ll be inside the 10, then he kept going and fighting and driving. That’s Christian McCaffrey, man, He’s a dog. You never know when he’s going to keep going or get out of something. For him to do that didn’t really surprise me. I look up to that kind of stuff. He gives us a spark, man, and an energy to the offense when we need it most. So, respect to him.

On Philly

We just won on Thanksgiving. We’re going to enjoy this one. We’re going to take the next couple of days to recover and clear our mind. The game plan, we’ll get to it next week.
Obviously it’s going to be a big one on the road. We know that. Everyone knows that. But we’re just taking it one day at a time and we’re going to enjoy this one.