The San Francisco 49ers turned the second NFL workforce to seal a spot on this season’s play-offs by profitable 21-13 at divisional rivals Seattle Seahawks.
On simply his second NFL begin, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy threw two landing passes to tight finish George Kittle to provide the 49ers a seventh straight win and transfer to a 10-4 document.
That secured the NFC West title with three common season video games left.
The Seahawks (7-7) can nonetheless make the post-season by way of a wild-card spot.
Purdy, 22, was this 12 months’s ‘Mr Irrelevant’, the nickname given to the participant chosen final in the NFL draft.
However accidents to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo have handed the 262nd draft decide an surprising alternative to steer the 49ers into the play-offs and doubtlessly to Tremendous Bowl 57.
Because the draft moved to seven rounds in 1994, no quarterback chosen within the remaining spherical has began a play-off sport as a rookie – and solely six have performed in a play-off sport at any level of their profession.
Purdy turned the primary Mr Irrelevant to throw a regular-season landing move when he changed the injured Garoppolo two weeks in the past.
Final week he turned the primary quarterback to beat document seven-time Tremendous Bowl winner Tom Brady on his first profession begin, because the 49ers defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-7.
And on his first away begin on Thursday, he accomplished 17 of 26 passes for 217 yards in Seattle, whereas Kittle made 4 catches for 93 yards.
From 26 carries, mid-season signing Christian McCaffrey rushed for 108 yards and a landing, and added 30 yards on six catches.
The 49ers led 14-3 at half-time and 21-6 with lower than 4 minutes remaining, when Seattle quarterback Geno Smith made his solitary landing move to Noah Fant.
In his first season as a starter since 2014, Smith, 32, has surprisingly led the Seahawks again into play-off rivalry after buying and selling Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos and was 31 of 44 passing for 238 yards.
