The secret sauce behind Purdy and Aiyuk’s connection

“You hear a lot about how great quarterback-receiver pairings have an instinctual, almost twin-like understanding of each other’s tendencies. But that explanation doesn’t usually pay dues to the time and work those connections take to develop, let alone the detail.

Aiyuk said Tuesday that Purdy’s feel — from “weeks and weeks” of “just working” — for what his route running is what makes them so dangerous.

“I just think he has a good feel for how I want to run my route on certain looks and where I might end up,” Aiyuk said. “He has good feel of feeling off receivers. I think that helps his accuracy even more because he can feel what we’re doing.”

Three-game stretch could define 49ers’ playoff destiny

“In the locker room after Sunday’s win, defensive end Nick Bosa acknowledged that he keeps tabs on the Eagles’ schedule, noting who, when and where they play. Kittle, who wouldn’t talk about anything beyond the Seahawks, gave a shoutout to the Los Angeles Rams for beating Seattle on Sunday and boosting the Niners back into sole possession of first place in the division.”

Peerless in Seattle? 49ers’ Deebo Samuel aims to keep roasting Seahawks (paywall)

“Samuel had four 100-yard receiving games against Seattle. And he has seven 100-yard receiving performances in his other 63 games (including playoffs).

What’s the secret?

“There’s no secret,” Samuel said. “Whenever the plays come my way, I try my best to make things happen.”

49ers overreactions: Is Brock Purdy the NFL’s best quarterback?

“If the 49ers fall short of their goal of winning the Lombardi Trophy, it might be that they came up against a strong passing attack and could not keep up.

But if that’s the case, the blame will not — or should not — go entirely on the defensive backfield.

Pass rush and coverage go hand-in-hand. If the 49ers’ secondary is getting beaten, that means the team’s pass rush is not getting the job done, either.

There is not a defensive backfield in the NFL that can hold up in coverage for long periods of time if the quarterback is not under pressure.”

Seahawks have waited 10 months to show they can hang with the 49ers. So, can they? (paywall)

“Beyond all of those personnel changes, using a nickel-as-their-base defense has allowed the Seahawks to be better at limiting explosive runs while also ranking second in success rate against the run.

“I like where we are,” Carroll said when asked if his team is better equipped to hang with the 49ers. “Coverage-wise, system-wise. This team really does check you out. They’ll check out your scheme. We give them a lot of credit and have a lot of respect for them. But I feel like we’re much farther along than we were.”

Asked if they’re better equipped in coverage, specifically — Purdy threw for 332 yards, averaged 11.1 yards per attempt and had the second-most efficient passing day of his career in the playoff game — Carroll said Seattle has made its greatest strides in the “connection” between how it marries its pass defense and its run fits.”