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49ers: Rookies write name in franchise folklore in Seattle

By Nicholas McGee

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 29: Dre Greenlaw #57 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with a teammate after stopping the Seattle Seahawks on fourth down in the fourth quarter to win the game 26-21 at CenturyLink Field on December 29, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 29: Dre Greenlaw #57 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with a teammate after stopping the Seattle Seahawks on fourth down in the fourth quarter to win the game 26-21 at CenturyLink Field on December 29, 2019 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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The San Francisco 49ers are NFC West champions and top seeds in the playoffs after a win in Seattle that owed much to two rookie standouts.

The San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West title and homefield advantage in the playoffs on Sunday as they survived a thriller with the Seattle Seahawks in a game that saw two rookies write their name into the folklore of the storied organization.

San Francisco held off a second-half fightback from Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in dramatic fashion at CenturyLink Field, clinching their first win in Seattle since 2011. Because of that drought and the remarkable way in which it was ended, the game will earn a place in the annals of 49er history regardless of what happens in the postseason.

The player, who ended the game was Dre Greenlaw, a fifth-round rookie linebacker out of Arkansas pressed into action midway through the season because of an injury to Kwon Alexander.

Greenlaw racked up 13 total tackles, his last made on the decisive play of the game as he delivered a punishing hit on tight end Jacob Hollister, preventing him from getting into the endzone with nine seconds left and preserving a 26-21 victory for San Francisco.

It was difficult to watch the play and not draw parallels with a tackle from Dan Bunz, who delivered a key fourth-down stop for the 49ers in the Super Bowl XVI triumph against the Cincinnati Bengals, helping San Francisco secure a first Lombardi Trophy.

Greenlaw’s stop will be a key chapter in the story of the 49ers’ sixth should they win three more games and seal the title, but San Francisco would not have been in the position to close out the game without second-round receiver Deebo Samuel.

Samuel, one of the top rookie wideouts in the NFL this year, delivered a clutch performance. The former South Carolina star caught five passes for 102 yards, scoring the 49ers’ first touchdown on a 30-yard reverse and setting up their last with a 21-yard grab on third down.

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San Francisco will likely see first-round pick Nick Bosa named Defensive Rookie of the Year, but, in the biggest game of the season, it was Greenlaw and Samuel who shone brightest. If the Niners are celebrating come February, it will be in large part because of their ability to hit on picks on days two and three of the draft.