Seattle's defense won the game.
In the waning moments of the NFC Championship, Richard Sherman knocked the ball away from Michael Crabtree's hands, and Malcolm Smith retrieved the ball in the air for the interception, ending all hopes for the 49ers to win.
Now, some have asserted that it was a close enough toss that, had it been slightly higher, Crabtree could have caught it. Who'd you pick to win that battle? Sherman, at 6'-3" has a 37" vertical jump (measured prior to being drafted) while Crabtree, at 6'-1" has a vertical jump of 34".
SF had three timeouts left and 30 seconds. Rather than throw for a TD, Kaepernick could have thrown the sideline to rookie Quinton Patton, who was clear of any defender for 10 yards. Kaepernick thought that Crabtree had the advantage -- Sherman at the line of scrimmage in man coverage -- but he thought wrong. The replay showed that Sherman was fully in step with Crabtree all the way.
That -- Fight On! -- Malcolm Smith was in the right place at the right time from his outside linebacker spot means that he knew Kaepernick would try to make that throw.
All that trash-talking from Sherman following the play? The guy put up, so that he wouldn't have to shut up. Crabtree on the other hand, didn't win the battle against Sherman. He says he did win most of the battles (except for the most important pass of the game, of course), but the numbers say otherwise. Kaepernick passed for just 153 yards, and had his lowest rating of the playoffs, and Crabtree caught just 50% of the passes thrown at him.
In a game where Russell Wilson made a number of mental errors, the defense stepped in and won the game, stopping SF from scoring points in the last 21 minutes of a 60 minute game. That's a big statement.
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