How Sam Darnold's one year with 49ers prepared him for Seahawks

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RENTON, Wash. -- The play unfolded precisely how Sam Darnold, Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers drew it up.

It was midway through the fourth quarter of their two-touchdown loss on Christmas night in 2023.

To that point, the game had been dominated by the Baltimore Ravens' top-ranked defense, coordinated by future Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.

Down 33-12, Darnold took over for a banged-up Brock Purdy and got the 49ers down to Baltimore's 12. That's where Shanahan saw an opportunity for the backup quarterback to exploit a certain defensive look they had prepared for extensively.

Based on Roquan Smith's pre-snap alignment and the type of zone coverage it…