The 49ers looked rattled in front of the 12s after Shaheed’s TD whipped Lumen Field into a frenzy (much like Marshawn Lynch’s Beast Quake TD run in the 2010 playoffs). Niners quarterback Brock Purdy struggled versus Seattle’s top-ranked defense, completing 15 of 27 passes for 140 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.
Regardless of such a pummeling, Purdy still believes the 49ers are “100 percent” capable of winning a Super Bowl in the near future.
“I believe we have the right guys,” Purdy told reporters. “Obviously it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. But I really do think with some guys getting healthy and what we stand for and how we always bounce back, I feel like our backs were against the wall really all season with guys going down, but we always found a way.
“So, I think once we’re 100 percent and feel good about ourselves and learn, we’ll be just fine.”
As Purdy mentioned, health was an issue throughout the 49ers’ 2025 season. Purdy was one of many players on the roster who missed time due to injury. Purdy, Kittle, offensive tackle Trent Williams and wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings all got banged up during the year. Kittle, in particular, missed six regular-season contests and left San Francisco’s wild-card win with a torn Achilles. The defense was also bitten by the injury bug. Pass rusher Nick Bosa (torn ACL) and linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) both suffered season-ending injuries, and even breakouts that replaced them such as Tatum Bethune went down.
Star running back Christian McCaffrey, who dealt with Achilles, calf and knee injuries in 2024, was one of the rare healthy bodies all year leading into Sunday. But the All-Pro was held in check by Seattle’s defense for 35 rushing yards on 11 carries and five receptions for 39 yards, and he suffered a stinger that seemed painful enough to keep him out had the stakes been different. Instead, he returned to the game and battled through pain despite the Seahawks’ big lead in the second half.
McCaffrey reflected on the challenging season following what had largely been a lost 2024 campaign for him.
“It takes time to process this stuff. This was one of the hardest years of my life,” he said. “Everything that happened to me last year, I kind of had to overcome a lot of odds. From the time on January 1st happened, I was rehabbing and working my butt off every single day. My wife went through it. There was not a lot of time off. And so again, I think it’s obvious we’re not proud of the way it ended, but when I look back at all the people that helped me out and the people that were with me every step of the way and believed in me when a lot of people didn’t, and I appreciate that.”