I had SF and as crazy as it sounds.......that was the right call by Harbaugh....

[maverick2112]

The only way they could have lost was for seattle to

kick onside,,,,,,,get ball,,,,,score td

kick onside again......get ball,,,,,,score fg


Harbaugh declines safety........GAME OVER.....

 

[maverick2112]

I know its improbable as hell to get 2 onside kicks but its still a possibility..........

 

[Dead Money]

and the odds of that were?

and the odds of that were?

Think the Seattle QB had ONE complete pass second half...

 

[IX_Bender]

the only rational explanation is there would be at least ONE more violent play that could result in injury

(the onside kick)

if they got the ball, then the defense would also be at risk for injury

the decline and kneel take the INJURY aspect out of it

STILL

 

[maverick2112]

I know.........I dont think Seattle was capable of getting a first down let alone a td.........but most coaches will probably choose to end the game rather than taking any chances at all..........I am just saying I can see why he did it

 

[devil dave]

Decline the safety, take over on downs, mis snap for a td and it's tied. That's in 1 play.

 

[michaeljbird]

I know its improbable as hell to get 2 onside kicks but its still a possibility..........

Bigger probability you could fumble trying to take a kneel down and give them the ball back only up 1 score.....take the safety up 2 scores.

 

[johnnyonthespot]

Double-check the rules but I am 99% sure you cannot onside kick off of a safety. I think that's why it's a punt and not off of a tee - it follows punt rules.

 

[johnnyonthespot]

OK, apparently I'm incorrect. From a Google search:

Can a team opting to punt after a safety recover the ball as they would an onside kick? It seems that it would be much easier to create a jump ball scenario by way of a punt compared to trying to recover an onside kick squibbed off the tee. --Bob Black, Minneapolis, Minn.

A free kick after safety, which can be punted, is considered a regular free kick that can be recovered by the kicking team after it has traveled 10 yards. It is seldom attempted because the kickoff line is the kicking team's 20-yard line and if the onside attempt via punt is unsuccessful, the receiving team would put the ball in play somewhere around their opponents' 30-yard line. In my 23 years in the National Football League, I saw one of these plays attempted by the Miami Dolphins, and they successfully recovered the kick.