Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers: 2016 Week 17 Recap

Game story

In Week 17 of the 2016 NFL season on 2017-01-01, the Seattle Seahawks took care of business against the San Francisco 49ers, pulling away with a 25–23 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 23 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

R. Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) paced the passing game, with +5.39 total EPA, and +2.5% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, R. Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +5.39 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-14.5% win probability) landed in the opening quarter when San Francisco 49ers changed the game: (14:25) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick FUMBLES (Aborted) at SF 22, RECOVERED by SEA-54-B.Wagner at SF 21. 54-B.Wagner to SF 21 for no gain (7-C.Kaepernick). Fumble occurred on attempted handoff t

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 R. Wilson · Seattle Seahawks · Passing · +5.39 total EPA · 34 snaps · +0.16 EPA/play
2. 2 L. Willson · Seattle Seahawks · Receiving · +4.32 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.44 EPA/play
3. 3 C. Kaepernick · San Francisco 49ers · Passing · +2.98 total EPA · 29 snaps · +0.10 EPA/play
4. 4 S. Draughn · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +2.94 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.49 EPA/play
5. 5 G. Celek · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +2.54 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.54 EPA/play
6. 6 J. Graham · Seattle Seahawks · Receiving · +2.33 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.33 EPA/play
7. 7 T. McEvoy · Seattle Seahawks · Receiving · +1.82 total EPA · 2 snaps · +0.91 EPA/play
8. 8 A. Burbridge · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +1.82 total EPA · 2 snaps · +0.91 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• San Francisco 49ers — S. Draughn (Q1 54:41)
• San Francisco 49ers — S. Draughn (Q2 45:00)
• Seattle Seahawks — L. Willson (R. Wilson pass) (Q2 36:59)
• Seattle Seahawks — T. Rawls (Q2 33:03)
• San Francisco 49ers — G. Celek (C. Kaepernick pass) (Q4 5:51)

Field goals

• Seattle Seahawks — S. Hauschka (Q1 58:08)
• Seattle Seahawks — S. Hauschka (Q2 40:37)
• Seattle Seahawks — S. Hauschka (Q3 23:19)
• Seattle Seahawks — S. Hauschka (Q4 14:12)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 7–3. Seattle Seahawks connected on a field goal from the SF 13 (Q1 58:08) — (13:08) 4-S.Hauschka 31 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the SEA 1 (Q1 54:41) — (9:41) (Shotgun) 24-S.Draughn right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the SEA 15 (Q1 54:35) — 4-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-5-B.Pinion..

The second quarter: Seattle Seahawks won the period 16–7. San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the SEA 1 (Q2 45:00) — (15:00) (Shotgun) 24-S.Draughn up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the SEA 15 (Q2 44:56) — 4-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-5-B.Pinion.; Seattle Seahawks connected on a field goal from the SF 14 (Q2 40:37) — (10:37) 4-S.Hauschka 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.; Seattle Seahawks found the end zone from the SF 11 (Q2 36:59) — (6:59) (Shotgun) 3-R.Wilson pass short right to 82-L.Willson for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Seattle Seahawks added 1 points from the SF 15 (Q2 36:55) — 4-S.Hauschka extra point is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.; Seattle Seahawks found the end zone from the SF 1 (Q2 33:03) — (3:03) 70-R.Odhiambo reported in as eligible. 34-T.Rawls left guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN..

The third quarter: Seattle Seahawks won the period 3–2. Seattle Seahawks connected on a field goal from the SF 15 (Q3 23:19) — (8:19) 4-S.Hauschka 33 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.; San Francisco 49ers registered a safety from the SF 86 (Q3 20:06) — (5:06) (Punt formation) 9-J.Ryan Aborted. 48-N.Frese FUMBLES at SEA 0, ball out of bounds in End Zone, SAFETY..

The fourth quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 7–3. Seattle Seahawks connected on a field goal from the SF 10 (Q4 14:12) — (14:12) 4-S.Hauschka 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the SEA 9 (Q4 5:51) — (5:51) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick pass short middle to 88-G.Celek for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the SEA 15 (Q4 5:42).

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• San Francisco 49ers (Q1 59:25) — (14:25) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick FUMBLES (Aborted) at SF 22, RECOVERED by SEA-54-B.Wagner at SF 21. 54-B.Wagner to SF 21 for no gain (7-C.Kaepernick). Fumble occurred on attempted handoff t [WPA -14.5% · EPA -5.34]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 37:55) — (7:55) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 32-D.Harris up the middle to SF 48 for no gain (77-A.Rubin). FUMBLES (77-A.Rubin), RECOVERED by SEA-55-F.Clark at SF 42. 55-F.Clark to SF 15 for 27 yards (32-D.Harris). D.H [WPA -13.0% · EPA -6.98]
• Seattle Seahawks (Q2 33:26) — (3:26) (Shotgun) 3-R.Wilson pass deep right to 88-J.Graham pushed ob at SF 1 for 42 yards (41-A.Bethea) [51-G.Hodges]. Caught at SF 1. 0-yds YAC [WPA +12.2% · EPA +4.14]
• Seattle Seahawks (Q2 36:59) — (6:59) (Shotgun) 3-R.Wilson pass short right to 82-L.Willson for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +9.9% · EPA +2.42]
• Seattle Seahawks (Q2 34:09) — (4:09) (Shotgun) 3-R.Wilson pass deep left to 89-D.Baldwin to SF 43 for 41 yards (33-R.Robinson). SF-33-R.Robinson was injured during the play. He is Out. Caught at SF 48. 5-yds YAC [WPA +9.2% · EPA +2.39]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 37:55) — (7:55) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 32-D.Harris up the middle to SF 48 for no gain (77-A.Rubin). FUMBLES (77-A.Rubin), RECOVERED by SEA-55-F.Clark at SF 42. 55-F.Clark to SF 15 for 27 yards (32-D.Harris). D.H [WPA -13.0% · EPA -6.98]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q1 59:25) — (14:25) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick FUMBLES (Aborted) at SF 22, RECOVERED by SEA-54-B.Wagner at SF 21. 54-B.Wagner to SF 21 for no gain (7-C.Kaepernick). Fumble occurred on attempted handoff t [WPA -14.5% · EPA -5.34]
• Seattle Seahawks (Q2 33:26) — (3:26) (Shotgun) 3-R.Wilson pass deep right to 88-J.Graham pushed ob at SF 1 for 42 yards (41-A.Bethea) [51-G.Hodges]. Caught at SF 1. 0-yds YAC [WPA +12.2% · EPA +4.14]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 39:11) — (9:11) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick pass short right to 13-A.Burbridge to SF 43 for 24 yards (23-S.Terrell). Caught at SF 20. 23-yds YAC [WPA +9.0% · EPA +2.59]

Quarterback report card

R.Wilson led all passers in efficiency for Seattle Seahawks, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• R.Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) · 34 dropbacks · 55.9% completion · +2.5% CPOE · +0.16 EPA/play · +5.39 total EPA
• C.Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers) · 29 dropbacks · 58.6% completion · +11.8% CPOE · +0.10 EPA/play · +2.98 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, Seattle Seahawks generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.02 vs -0.09), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Seattle Seahawks: 12 drives, +1.61 total EPA, 7 scoring drives
• San Francisco 49ers: 12 drives, -6.93 total EPA, 3 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Seattle Seahawks leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• R. Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• C. Kaepernick (SF) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Seattle Seahawks FG (+3) — Q1 58:08 · SF 13 · Score 3-0
   (13:08) 4-S.Hauschka 31 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.
2. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q1 54:41 · SEA 1 · Score 3-6
   (9:41) (Shotgun) 24-S.Draughn right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
3. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q1 54:35 · SEA 15 · Score 3-7
   4-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-5-B.Pinion.
4. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q2 45:00 · SEA 1 · Score 3-13
   (15:00) (Shotgun) 24-S.Draughn up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
5. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q2 44:56 · SEA 15 · Score 3-14
   4-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-5-B.Pinion.
6. Seattle Seahawks FG (+3) — Q2 40:37 · SF 14 · Score 6-14
   (10:37) 4-S.Hauschka 32 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.
7. Seattle Seahawks TD (+6) — Q2 36:59 · SF 11 · Score 12-14
   (6:59) (Shotgun) 3-R.Wilson pass short right to 82-L.Willson for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
8. Seattle Seahawks XP (+1) — Q2 36:55 · SF 15 · Score 13-14
   4-S.Hauschka extra point is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.
9. Seattle Seahawks TD (+6) — Q2 33:03 · SF 1 · Score 19-14
   (3:03) 70-R.Odhiambo reported in as eligible. 34-T.Rawls left guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
10. Seattle Seahawks FG (+3) — Q3 23:19 · SF 15 · Score 22-14
    (8:19) 4-S.Hauschka 33 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.
11. San Francisco 49ers Safety (+2) — Q3 20:06 · SF 86 · Score 22-16
    (5:06) (Punt formation) 9-J.Ryan Aborted. 48-N.Frese FUMBLES at SEA 0, ball out of bounds in End Zone, SAFETY.
12. Seattle Seahawks FG (+3) — Q4 14:12 · SF 10 · Score 25-16
    (14:12) 4-S.Hauschka 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-N.Frese, Holder-9-J.Ryan.
13. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q4 5:51 · SEA 9 · Score 25-22
    (5:51) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick pass short middle to 88-G.Celek for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
14. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q4 5:42 · SEA 15 · Score 25-23
    4-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-5-B.Pinion. PENALTY on SEA-90-J.Reed, Disqualification, 15 yards, enforced between downs.