The Seattle Seahawks took a hard-fought 32-29 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon, but they should be far from discouraged. These are the two best teams in the NFL. Both teams exposed every slit in each other’s armor. The Seahawks played with plenty of physicality and stayed together despite easy opportunities for division. They get another crack at their Northern California rivals in November, and the opportunities for improvement are obvious.
Your Studs and Duds for Week 5 are as obvious as they’ve ever been. Let’s break down why that’s the case.
STUDS
Byron Murphy II
Seahawks observers have been patiently waiting for defensive tackle Byron Murphy II to fill up the stat sheet in 2026, and he finally did in Week 5. Murphy opened the game with two sacks
in the first 20 minutes and added three tackles for loss, six total tackles, and five solo. 49ers left guard Connor Colby had his hands full trying to deal with Murphy’s low-to-the-ground run-stuffing techniques in the run game, too. The 49ers’ leading rusher, running back Christian McCaffrey, only had 68 yards — meaning the Seahawks’ streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher extends to 34 regular+postseason games.
Nehemiah Pritchett
This was as official a breakout game for cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett as you’re going to get. He had two clutch plays today that flipped the momentum in the Seahawks’ favor. He caused two turnovers that set up the team’s only two touchdowns. On Seattle’s first punt of the day, he went in as a gunner and lit up 49ers punt returner Jacob Cowing, who fumbled the football before tight end Eric Saubert recovered. That set up their first score. Later in the third quarter, he broke on an outside throw by 49ers quarterback and MVP candidate Brock Purdy for a massive interception in the opposing half. That led to the Seahawks’ second touchdown of the afternoon. After being a roster-bubble afterthought entering the season, he’s locked down a starting role — and may even be the top outside corner on Seattle’s depth chart.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
It wasn’t just the five receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown that made receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) a stud today. It was the leadership and toughness he showed by sacrificing himself for the team. JSN tweaked his ankle early in the first half and was clearly in pain. Somehow, he found a way to tape it up heavily and get back on the field to begin the second half — and he was the team’s best receiver again by a large margin. He showed a level of care to represent the Seahawks that money can’t buy. He set a standard similar to the stories you hear told about Pro Football Hall of Famers. When your superstar acts like this, that standard can heal itself quickly — regardless of any injuries or adversity the team may face.
DUDS
George Holani
The Seahawks clearly like running back George Holani as a person. He’s been around the organization since 2024, and he’s been relied upon as a passing-down back since. However, he had one of the costliest mistakes in franchise history today — and it wasn’t just a mistake. He fumbled in the end zone at the end of the first half on what was supposed to be a “safe” run play, giving 49ers defensive tackle Gracen Halton an easy touchdown. It wasn’t a one-off, but a symptom of a larger issue within the position group. He carried the ball carelessly the entire game, and anyone who’s coached running backs before could see that the fumbles were coming. He fumbled the ball while running untouched after a catch in the first half and was extremely lucky to recover it. He held the ball in only his forearm while making a cut to get out of the end zone. Later on, he caught the ball again, and still didn’t cover the football with any part of his upper body. When you don’t hold the ball high and tight, you’re inviting problems — especially against an opportunistic 49ers defense in one of the biggest and most intense games of the season.
Fellow back Emanuel Wilson also fumbled, but in his case, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner punched the ball out. Peanut punches are something Warner does as well as anyone ever has. Wilson also showed the correct technique immediately after halftime. Holani put the ball on the ground unprovoked and didn’t fix the sloppy technique that led to it. Running backs coach Thomas Hammock has one job this week, and it’s to fix the position group’s game-killing lack of fundamentals.
Josh Jobe
Kyle Shanahan told Terry Bradshaw he spent the entire offseason studying how his team could beat Seattle. Going directly at cornerback Josh Jobe with 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans was the most obvious piece of that gameplan today. Evans went for 113 yards and a touchdown on seven catches, all against Jobe — and the worst part is that Jobe looked to be in position on every single one of those plays. Evans is a matchup nightmare, but the Seahawks relied on Jobe to cover him one-on-one, and it didn’t work out. They’ll need to revise the entire gameplan to stop him in November.
Sam Darnold
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw two interceptions today, but his overall pocket presence left plenty to be desired beyond the stat sheet, too. He got frantic and tried to be mobile at times when Purdy was able to step up and deliver. Darnold struggled to hit the middle of the field, and since the run game had massive issues, too, the 49ers were able to play even more aggressive than usual. Darnold didn’t stretch them horizontally, or consistently, with the poise he showed in last year’s playoffs. He still dialed up some excellent throws, and his arm talent will always allow him to be more of a hero than the Purdys of the world — but he made fixable mistakes that gave San Francisco too many short fields.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks’ Studs and Duds in Week 5 loss to 49ers
