The Seattle Seahawks are 3-2 and they are in trouble for the NFC West, and maybe the playoffs are a little less certain for the Super Bowl champions given their gauntlet of a schedule over the next three weeks.
In a back-and-forth game with way more defense than the final score suggested, the Seahawks fell 32-29 to the San Francisco 49ers (5-0) to fall two games back (with no tiebreaker) in the division. Sam Darnold threw two terrible interceptions and generally did not perform well. George Holani’s
back-breaking fumble for a touchdown before halftime gave the 49ers an eight-point lead heading into the locker room. Seattle turned it over four times to San Francisco’s three, and the 49ers scored 21 of their 32 points off of turnovers.
Brock Purdy and Mike Evans toasted the Seahawks secondary, and by secondary I mean Josh Jobe. Even though Purdy threw a pick and was sacked several times, he made several clutch plays to keep drives alive and give the 49ers a win that, quite possibly when all is said and done, might be one of the moments they look back on if they do finally end their Super Bowl drought.
Seahawks vs. 49ers 1st half recap
The 49ers started on offense with Christian McCaffrey getting a quality 8-yard run to open the drive. Brock Purdy was nearly picked off on his first throw, then George Kittle dropped what is ordinarily a gimme for him. Seattle got the ball off a three-and-out and gave it right back. Sam Darnold was sacked on second down, setting up a 3rd and 10 pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba that was read and picked by Renardo Green. Immediate red zone possession.
Purdy made the Seahawks pay with a third down conversion to Mike Evans on Josh Jobe, followed by a touchdown to Evans with Jobe in coverage. 7-0 49ers.
If you want a little history repeating itself, the Seahawks recovered a muffed punt early last week against the Los Angeles Chargers. It happened again versus the 49ers ,
Short field touchdown one way? Short field touchdown the other way. A couple of conversions through the air to Emanuel Wilson and Cooper Kupp gave Seattle a goal-to-go situation. Emanuel Wilson ran right side, with A.J. Barner blocking out Romello Height and clearing the path for a walk-in score. 7-7.
It was a struggle for first downs for both offenses, as you would expect given the caliber of both defenses. For the first time all season, Brock Purdy took a sack. On 3rd and 1, Byron Murphy II closed in and finished the play to bring Purdy down.
The opening quarter ended with Sam Darnold hitting an explosive play to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 38 yards, as JSN toasted Deommodore Lenoir.
A screen to JSN gained another 16, although the stat book put this down as a running play. Seattle’s drive stalled out after that JSN touch, but Jason Myers made it 10-7 Seahawks on a 49-yard field goal. Smith-Njigba was notably dinged up when it looked like he tweaked his ankle on that aforementioned play.
The 49ers were on the cusp of field goal range when Purdy was sacked for a second time by big Byron Murphy II. A key tackle by Devon Witherspoon on a Purdy scramble meant a field goal attempt was not feasible. Seattle got the ball back inside its own 9, and turned it over AGAIN. Emanuel Wilson with the fumble and Fred Warner with the punch-out. Christian McCaffrey immediately capitalized with an 11-yard touchdown run. 14-10 49ers.
Craziness ensued on Seattle’s next scoring drive. Sam Darnold scrambled for a first down but got hit late by Dre Greenlaw for a personal foul penalty. Greenlaw mixed it up with the Seahawks sideline and then headbutted a helmetless Ernest Jones IV. That’s an automatic ejection!
After the dust settled, George Holani had a wide open catch in the flat and was set for a huge gain… except he dropped the ball on his own and recovered his own fumble. It’s still a first down, but it was a big play opportunity wasted. Consecutive sacks on Sam Darnold made it a longer FG for Jason Myers, who at least was true from 50. 14-13 49ers.
The 49ers were unable to score in the two-minute drill, as the Seahawks defense continued to play resolutely. Unfortunately, the offense played incompetently, and instead of kneeling the ball or doing literally anything else that’s a lot safer than an outside zone handoff near the goal line, George Holani fumbled the ball in an effort to run the clock out. Gracen Halton was on the spot for a touchdown before halftime. 21-13 49ers.
SERIOUSLY?! Three turnovers in the first half and it could’ve been more. Boos rang around Lumen Field entering the break.
Seahawks vs. 49ers 2nd half recap
The Seahawks got the ball on offense to start the second half, badly in need of something good to happen. Darnold threw another interception instead, this time on a pass intended for Elijah Arroyo. Another Renardo Green pick.
Arroyo took a 15-yard roughness penalty for good measure. The 49ers failed to get a first down, and Eddy Pineiro’s field goal effort drifted way wide left. No points allowed!
Seattle took some advantage of the short field with a run-heavy 8-play, 33-yard drive. Jason Myers connected on a third field goal to cut the deficit to 21-16 49ers.
PICK! Nehemiah Pritchett with another pick on the season and his second takeaway involvement on the afternoon. It’s Purdy’s first interception since Week 1 and the runback set up Seattle in tremendous field position.
What came next? JSN. A beautiful cut to make a move on Fred Warner and turn it into a go-ahead house call. 23-21 Seahawks.
FUMBLE! Deebo Samuel was tripped up by Drake Thomas and dropped the ball just about as his shin hit the ground. A third 49ers turnover in his messy game! Josh Jobe on the recovery, which led to no first downs but another Jason Myers field goal. 26-21 Seahawks.
Brock Purdy and Mike Evans destroyed the Seahawks defense on a 12-play, 74-yard drive. Purdy was 7/8 for 89 yards and a touchdown to Brandin Cooks, an injury-prone receiver ironically called to action due to multiple injuries at the receiver position for the 49ers. Purdy to Evans was good for a two-point conversion, as Josh Jobe could not cope. 29-26 49ers.
Rashid Shaheed was oh so close to breaking a big kick return to the house. It still set up great field position for the Seahawks, who utilized Shaheed on a play-action boot for an explosive play near the red zone. The drive stalled after Keion White sacked Darnold, and Myers came on for a tying field goal. 29-29.
Smashmouth football by the 49ers offense gave them a clock-killing drive to work into field goal range. Byron Murphy II denied Kaelon Black on 3rd and 1, forcing a field goal attempt on the other side of the two-minute warning. Eddy Pineiro had missed from 50+ earlier, would he miss from 44? Nope! 32-29 49ers with 1:56 to go.
A penalty on Seattle’s Avery Smith during the kick return backed the Seahawks up. Darnold hit a wide open JSN for a huge gain to midfield! The next throw to JSN lit him up and it was incomplete. Darnold nearly sacked on 2nd and 10 and he escapes for a throw that’s too high to Barner. JSN wide open but he drops it! Unbelievable he mistimed his jump! 4th and 10 and Kupp makes the catch, breaks a tackle, dives but he’s marked short of the first down. Game over.
Seahawks injury report
- LB Drake Thomas had an ankle injury in the first half but returned in the second half.
- WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba had his right ankle taped after a 16-yard run in the second quarter, but he stayed in the game.
Full Seahawks vs. 49ers box score
Next week’s opponent
The Seahawks have a short week and a road trip to the high elevation of Denver, where the Denver Broncos (3-2) will be waiting on Thursday night. Prime Video has the broadcast at 5:15 pm PT on Oct. 15.
