SEATTLE — An ugly end to an inspiring season.
That was the dichotomy that one San Francisco 49ers player after another described in the visitors’ locker room Saturday after their improbable 2025 season ended with a punchless 41-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Eyes welled. Voices cracked. Some players had to stop and compose themselves.
It wasn’t out of anger or regret. The overarching feeling as they left Seattle was pride — that a roster as battered and barren as the 49ers’ made it as far as it did.
“Nobody thought we’d be here, let alone thought we would win this game,” said offensive tackle Trent Williams, who had a similar message when he spoke to teammates in the locker room minutes after the final whistle. “At the end of the day, we’re playing with house money when we get to this point, considering who we played with.”
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who, like Williams, has been in the NFL for well over a decade, called 2025 “one of the most enjoyable seasons that I’ve had.”
“It’s just a really special group,” Juszczyk said. “It’s just fun to play with other guys that will put absolutely everything on the line. Because that gives you confidence to do so yourself. Because you know your brothers have your back this year.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan said he didn’t talk about the game when he gathered his team in the locker room afterward.
“I thanked them for the whole season, how much they battled for everything,” he said. “I know everyone was sick about tonight, how it went in every facet, but I tried not to make it about tonight when I was with them. I thanked them for what they’ve done all year, and I’ve been extremely proud of everyone in that room throughout this year.”
One of the reasons the 49ers cheated their injury epidemic was because their backups and emergency replacements, from Mac Jones to Eddy Piñeiro to Eric Kendricks, played so well when called upon.
The Improbables didn’t have that magic in Seattle.
Jake Tonges, who filled in well during George Kittle’s early-season absence, fumbled on San Francisco’s second possession, then suffered a foot injury in the second half. The 49ers finished with just two healthy tight ends, Luke Farrell and Brayden Willis, who was recently promoted from the practice squad.
At safety, rookie Marques Sigle, who looked so sharp in relief of injured Ji’Ayir Brown last week in Philadelphia, couldn’t duplicate the effort against the Seahawks. His outing included a pass interference penalty that set up Seattle’s second touchdown and a badly missed tackle on their third, a 7-yard run by Kenneth Walker III that put the Seahawks up 24-6 at halftime.
Three years ago, the Seahawks fell 41-23 at Levi’s Stadium in the opening round of the playoffs. Then they measured themselves against their rivals, who went to the NFC Championship Game that season. San Francisco was obviously more talented, and the Seahawks were determined to catch them.
Now they’ve done that and more.
The 49ers didn’t score any touchdowns in their last two meetings with the Seahawks. The 41-6 final score Saturday represented the franchise’s second-worst playoff loss ever, behind only the 49-3 drubbing at the Meadowlands when the Giants’ Jim Burt knocked out Joe Montana in 1986.
The defeat also underscored the 49ers’ biggest weaknesses entering the offseason. For the second straight meeting, they couldn’t penetrate the Seahawks’ two-shell defense, with their wide receivers combining for 27 receiving yards. Ricky Pearsall, who appears to be the foundation of the group in future seasons, wasn’t able to come up with a diving snag in the second quarter and finished with no catches on two targets.
The defensive end spot, meanwhile, suffered huge losses when Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams tore their ACLs and were lost for the season. Both injuries will perhaps bleed into the start of the 2026 regular season. Their replacements again had trouble holding the edge Saturday as Walker averaged 6.1 yards per carry and finished with 116 yards and three touchdowns.
Still, Trent Williams insisted the 49ers are in the same echelon as their toughest NFC West opponents, the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. He and other veterans noted how many rookies and newcomers were thrust into major roles this season and how valuable that will be for the future.
“So many young guys and new guys got a lot of really valuable experience — at the same time winning games,” Williams said. “I mean, that’s the best you could ask for.”
He also refused to concede that Seattle’s swarming defense — the 49ers averaged just 3.9 yards per play Saturday — is one of the best he’s faced in his 15-year career. Heck, it might not even be the best the 49ers have played this season.
“What DeMeco (Ryans) is doing in Houston is impressive,” he noted. “Hats off to Seattle. They’re a good defense. They played two-shell (coverage). They make you have to dink and dunk down the field. Keep everything in front of them. It’s a good game plan.”
And unlike the Seahawks three years ago, he doesn’t think there’s a vast gap in talent between the two teams.
Asked what he takes from the two big losses the Seahawks handed the 49ers in the span of two weeks, Williams’ answer captured the defiance and feistiness of the 2025 49ers.
“You don’t take s—,” he said. “Obviously, we’re down the best tight end in the world, right? There’s a lot of things we’re up against, not just Seattle.”
He noted that the teams split their regular-season meetings.
“We came down here with a healthy team, and we won,” he said. “That’s what we can be.”