SEATTLE (AP) — No game more perfectly embodied the San Francisco 49ers’ yearlong injury woes than their finale Saturday night.
Late in the third quarter of a 41-6 drubbing against the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round, star running back Christian McCaffrey wound up in the injury tent with a stinger while starting tight end Jake Tonges, who only entered the lineup because George Kittle tore his right Achilles last week, followed
soon after.
As San Francisco limped to a finish, so, too, did its roster.
“When you’re playing with guys you’re signing off the practice squad,” left tackle Trent Williams said, “guys (you are) taking off the street — you got to temper expectations a bit.”
San Francisco had won six in a row before losing to Seattle 13-3 in the regular-season finale, and churned out those victories without injured All-Pros like linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa.
“So many rosters were fully loaded while we were playing with guys that we got a week ago, two weeks ago, some guys signed at the beginning of the season, some guys signed in the middle of the season,” Williams said. “The fact that we were able to get to this part of the season, divisional round in the playoffs and give ourselves a chance to get in the NFC Championship and we’re extremely shorthanded, I’m proud of this team.”
The 49ers ran into a Seahawks team that continued to improve as the season progressed, and outscored the 49ers 54-9 in the last two games.
Seattle limited quarterback Brock Purdy and San Francisco to just two field goals in the 49ers’ second-most lopsided playoff loss in franchise history. San Francisco lost 49-3 to the New York Giants in the divisional round in the 1986 season.
Purdy had to run for his life all evening, and completed 15 of 27 passes for 140 yards with an interception and a fumble.
“It’s no secret in terms of their style of play,” Purdy said about Seattle’s defense. “It’s try to make the quarterback check it down and play deep to short. And then within that, have a good pass rush. And that’s a good defense, man. Like, it’s a smart way to play.”
Much of the season, the 49ers held serve with NFC West foes like the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, both of whom are still alive in the playoffs. They split their season series with each opponent.
Should the Rams beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday, though, it would be another NFC West showdown in Seattle for a spot in the Super Bowl.
But as the 49ers quite literally hobbled to the end of the 2025 season, it also spurred some contemplation from its top players about how to properly reflect on the 49ers’ season. McCaffrey, who did briefly return after his injury, called it an “emotional roller-coaster” to go through the season.
“What I will say is this is, in all my years playing, the proudest I’ve ever been to be a part of a team,” McCaffrey said. “It’s this team; I love everybody in that locker room.”
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