The San Francisco 49ers likely still have a bad taste in their mouths given how their regular season ended.
With a chance to not only win their division but lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, the 49ers had their worst performance of the year in a 13-3 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
The loss cost the 49ers big, dropping them from the potential top seed all the way down to No. 6, which forced them to go on the road for the wild-card round of the playoffs to play the No. 3 seed Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
Fortunately for San Francisco, it came out on the winning end of that matchup, but as they prepared to face a tough Seattel team for the third time this season, the 49ers are doing some last-minute roster tinkering with their injury issues only getting worse.
49ers Add Former Commanders DB
GettyFormer Washington Commanders DB Darrick Forrest recently signed with the San Francisco 49ers
In a flurry of roster moves on Wednesday, the 49ers announced they had signed former Washington Commanders safety Darrick Forrest to their practice squad along with tight end Hayden Rucci.
Additionally, wide receiver Javon Baker was released from the practice squad, and wide receiver Colton Dowell was signed to a reserve/future contract.
The moves come as little surprised given the uptick in injuries San Francisco is currently dealing with. All-Pro tight end George Kittle suffered a torn Achilles in the team’s win over the Eagles, knocking him out for the remainder of the playoffs.
Jake Tonges, who logged 4 catches on 46 targets for 293 yards and 5 touchdowns during the regular season, will take over Kittle’s starting spot, while Luke Farrell and Brayden Willis, who was recently promoted from the practice squad, will fill in as the backups.
Forrest’s addition is likely an insurance move in case starting safety J’Ayir Brown can’t go against Seattle. Brown is nursing a hamstring injury, and he did not participate in Tuesday’s walkthrough practice.
More will be known about Brown’s status later in the week when the team ramps up its practice schedule.
“We usually bring them in for about seven hours today (Tuesday),” head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters. “They’re only in for about three-and-a-half [hours]. We’ll do all walk-through, nothing full speed. We won’t go against each other at all. And then we’ll see how it goes.”
What to Expect in 49ers-Seahawks Round 3
In that Week 17 loss, the 49ers were held to just 173 yards of total offense as quarterback Brock Purdy had only 127 yards passing with an interception, and running back Christian McCaffrey totaled just 65 yards of offense (23 rushing, 34 receiving).
It was a stark contract from their first meeting back in Week 1 — a game San Francisco won 17-13 and dominated in almost every facet.
The 49ers outgained the Seahawks 384 yards to 230, and they controlled time of possession 37:58 to 22:02.
But given their bitter history and the fact that they see one another twice a year, Shanahan believes his team knows exactly what to expect from Seattle the third time around.
“We know each other very well,” Shanahan continued. “We’ve played against each other a ton. The schemes even the last time we played didn’t change much on both sides as opposed to Week 1. So, I think both teams got an idea of exactly what to expect.”
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