It took four takeaways, an epic 12-play, 74-yard touchdown drive, and a shocking Jaxon Smith-Njigba drop, but the 49ers finally emerged with a 32-29 victory at Lumen Field on Sunday.
Nine months after the Seahawks wiped the 49ers out of the playoffs with a 41-6 beatdown, Kyle Shanahan’s team returned to Seattle and delivered a gritty performance to improve to 5-0 and secure a two-game lead in the NFC West over the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Safety Malik Mustapha sealed the victory by knocking wide receiver Cooper Kupp out of bounds a yard shy of the first-down marker with less than a minute left. Kupp appeared to stretch the ball over the line to gain as he was pushed out of bounds, but a replay review failed to produce conclusive evidence that Kupp recorded a first down.
Eddy Piñeiro’s 44-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining put the 49ers ahead, but it was Brock Purdy, Mike Evans, and a patchwork group of skill-position players who spurred a fourth-quarter comeback.
With less than 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and Seahawks linebackers scrambling to align in front of him, center Jake Brendel whipped a shotgun snap back to Purdy, who threw a laser to veteran receiver Brandin Cooks for a touchdown.
But whistles pierced the air as officials had granted Seattle coach Mike Macdonald a timeout before the snap, nullifying a touchdown.
The 49ers’ quarterback had seen enough. He wanted Cooks again. After Seattle lined up properly, Purdy connected with Cooks from 7 yards out for the score, and this one counted.
On the next play, Purdy scrambled around the backfield before finding Evans on a 2-point conversion.
The 74-yard touchdown drive looked like a turning point, but the 49ers held their 29-26 lead for just four minutes before Jason Myers kicked his fifth field goal of the day to tie the game with 6:55 remaining.
The 49ers needed one more drive to win, and after missing from 52 yards out earlier in the game, Piñeiro delivered.
Sam Darnold found Smith-Njigba for a 35-yard completion to open the Seahawks’ next series, but Seattle’s offense began to stall. On third down, Darnold saw Smith-Njigba cutting across the field, but the sure-handed receiver failed to corral a catchable throw, setting up fourth down.
That’s when Kupp caught the ball on the left sideline and fought through a tackle before Mustapha chipped him to prevent Kupp from extending the drive and the game.
Here are our other instant takeaways from a wild rivalry matchup:
The defense steps up
The 49ers finished with four takeaways, and none was more impressive than Gracen Halton’s forced fumble and recovery in the end zone at the end of the first half. After gunner Siran Neal tracked down a punt inside the Seahawks’ 5-yard line, Halton blasted an offensive lineman backward, stripped running back George Holani, and fell on the football for San Francisco’s third first-half touchdown.
Renardo Green intercepted Darnold’s first throw to set up an 18-yard touchdown drive. Later, Fred Warner punched the ball loose from running back Emanuel Wilson, and on the next play Christian McCaffrey rumbled 11 yards for a touchdown.
Green also intercepted Darnold’s first pass of the second half, but the 49ers were unable to capitalize after Piñeiro shanked a 52-yard field goal wide left.
Evans stars in Seattle
The 49ers’ offense should get healthier as the season goes on. Thanks to the presence of Evans, Purdy was better equipped against Seattle than he was during the final two losses of last season — but the 49ers were still missing plenty to begin Sunday. They were without three of their top receivers and versatile fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and star tight end George Kittle came down with the flu before the game.
That’s a tough combination against a historically good defense — and then it got worse. Both Deebo Samuel and Jacob Cowing went down with injuries, putting the 49ers into a nightmarish bind: Their game plan had revolved around 11 personnel (one back, one tight end, and three receivers), but they didn’t have enough wideouts to run this package.
The resulting struggles were expected. But the 49ers did still have Evans, and — boy — did Purdy hang by that thread. On the go-ahead 12-play, 74-yard drive in the fourth quarter, Evans caught four passes for 75 yards. He also delivered on the two-point conversion attempt after Cooks, who grew a 49ers fan in Stockton, hauled in his first touchdown for the team.
Greenlaw’s ejection
Well, we have another 49ers-Seahawks rivalry moment that will be replayed for a long, long time. Dre Greenlaw did what Dre Greenlaw can be prone to do: He hit Darnold late. He also did it on the Seahawks’ sideline, prompting a major escalation that led dozens of blue helmets to surround Greenlaw after he stood up.
Dre Greenlaw walks off the field in Seattle after his second-quarter ejection. | Source: Sean Fan/The Standard
Amid the chaos, Greenlaw head-butted linebacker Ernest Jones — who didn’t have a helmet on at the time. The impact drew blood. Officials ejected Greenlaw from the field where he’d cemented his reputation as “Big Play Dre” nearly seven ago — on a famous goal-line stop of Jacob Hollister that clinched the 2019 NFC West title for the 49ers.
But even with Greenlaw gone, the 49ers continued harassing Seattle in waves. They turned a definite corner defensively in this game, a major arrow up for their long-term prospects.