SF 49ers grades in heartbreaking season-finale loss to Seahawks

The SF 49ers were in prime position to pull off an upset over the Seahawks in Week 17, but Russell Wilson did more Wilson-like things.

The SF 49ers know this storyline all too well.

They’ll be up over their NFC West division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, in the fourth quarter needing a defensive stand to retain the lead and secure the win. The only problem, however, is Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is going to add to the 23 fourth-quarter comebacks he already had entering the Week 17 bout to close out both teams’ regular-season campaigns.

In 2019, the story went the Niners’ way with that epic goal-line stand by linebacker Dre Greenlaw to secure San Francisco a win and the division crown.

But with the SF 49ers out of the playoffs amid a season where no other team put more players on injured reserve, the more-familiar storyline of Wilson leading a comeback became reality.

Make that 24 fourth-quarter comebacks for Wilson now after he hit wide receiver Tyler Lockett for the go-ahead 4-yard touchdown with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.

Both Seattle and San Francisco added the equivalent of garbage-time touchdowns to make the final score 26-23. But it was Wilson’s score to Locket, which made it 19-16 in favor of the Seahawks, that was the true difference-maker. Sure, the SF 49ers offense was scuffling for much of the game. Yet coordinator Robert Saleh’s defense did a phenomenal job for much of the game trying to contain Wilson and a potent Seattle offense.

Except for those 20 fourth-quarter Seahawks points, though.

Nevertheless, let’s go ahead and dish out our final position grades for the Niners as they finish their 2020 campaign with a 6-10 record and a very uncertain future this offseason.