{"id":493331,"date":"2026-10-12T06:02:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T06:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/493331\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T06:02:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T06:02:52","slug":"49ers-32-seahawks-29-instant-analysis-of-nfc-west-instant-classic-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/493331\/","title":{"rendered":"49ers 32, Seahawks 29: Instant analysis of NFC West instant classic"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEATTLE \u2013 An NFC West prize fight<\/a> broke out here Sunday, complete with touchdowns, turnovers, taunting, tie scores and the tense trading of leads.<\/p>\n

Once this Week 5 doozy ended, the 49ers\u2019 undefeated start reached 5-0 via a 32-29 triumph<\/a> over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been amazing to see us continue to fight, battle, and grow every week through the chaos of it all,\u201d linebacker Fred Warner said. \u201cIt\u2019s what we expected, honestly. It was going to be a heavyweight bout. Seattle is the guy that won it all last year and the one you have to go through.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was their first road game since a season-opening win over the Rams in Australia, and now the 49ers go back home for \u201cMonday Night Football\u201d against the Washington Commanders, who are 1-3-1 after tying the New York Giants Sunday.<\/p>\n

It took a midfield stand, of all strange things, to finish a thrilling chapter of this rivalry. The Seahawks (3-2) saw their last-minute drive end when a replay review upheld a ruling that Cooper Kupp reached a yard shy of a first down on a fourth-and-10 catch at the Niners\u2019 41 yard-line.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching the ref point our direction, can\u2019t beat that,\u201d Warner said of the replay ruling, which then allowed Brock Purdy to take a knee and kill the final 47 seconds.<\/p>\n

Eddy Pi\u00f1eiro\u2019s 43-yard field goal produced the winning points, once he waited out the two-minute warning (and blocked out a 52-yard miss just before halftime).<\/p>\n

Thin on receivers with Deebo Samuel out with a hamstring injury, the 49ers reached that go-ahead position thanks to Christian McCaffrey and rookie backup Kaelon Black accounting for all 43 yards on that drive.<\/p>\n

Five minutes before Pi\u00f1eiro\u2019s winning kick, Jason Myers tied the game on his fifth field goal of the day, a 40-yarder that followed Keion White\u2019s third-down sack of Sam Darnold.<\/p>\n

\"SanSan Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy throws a pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo\/Stephen Brashear)<\/p>\n

Purdy did get intercepted for the first time since the season opener\u2019s first half, but he responded by completing 11-of-12 passes for 111 of his total 189 yards.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrock did an unbelievable job there in the end finding a way to win it,\u201d coach Kyle Shanahan said. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the best defenses in the league. He was really good in the fourth quarter, and there were a lot of times something wasn\u2019t there and he made a play.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 49ers seized a 29-26 lead with 11 minutes left when Purdy completed a go-ahead touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks and an ensuing 2-point conversion toss to Mike Evans. It was Evans who made 23- and 28-yard receptions on alley-oop passes earlier in Seahawks\u2019 territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I do feel I am one of the best receivers in the game. Hurt or not, I\u2019m out there, and everyone\u2019s playing through injury,\u201d Evans said, two weeks after hurting his ribs. \u201cI\u2019ve got a big frame, so if you throw it to me, I\u2019m going to do my best to try and make those contested catches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite surrendering 29 points, the 49ers\u2019 defense was dubbed \u201cunbelievable\u201d by Shanahan for an ability to force four turnovers, produce five sacks, and, in no small feat, overcome Dre Greenlaw\u2019s second-quarter ejection<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 49ers owned a 21-13 halftime lead after perhaps their most chaotic first half since a 2019 thriller in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

The second half started in stunning fashion, too, as Renardo Green notched his second interception of the game off Darnold.<\/p>\n

Green and Evans received ceremonial game balls in the victorious locker room, where Eddy Grant\u2019s \u201cElectric Avenue\u201d blared as it did after many road wins last season.<\/p>\n

\"SEATTLE,SEATTLE, WASHINGTON \u2013 OCTOBER 11: Renardo Green #0 of the San Francisco 49ers intercepts a pass intended for Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Seahawks took a 26-21 lead into the fourth quarter after a swift sequence that could have floored the 49ers.<\/p>\n

Once Nehemiah Pitchett picked off Purdy\u2019s third-down pass to Jacob Cowing, the Seahawks produced a go-ahead, 16-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who juked Fred Warner and Malik Mustapha with 5:52 left in the third quarter.<\/p>\n

The 49ers\u2019 response? More bad news. Deebo Samuel fumbled on a third-quarter stumble toward the left sideline, and he hobbled out of the game with a right hamstring injury. The Seahawks converted that turnover into a Myers field goal and 26-21 lead.<\/p>\n

The 49ers\u2019 response? Much better this time. Backed up to their 16-yard line after a Cooks pass-interference penalty, they went on a 12-play drive that culminated in Evans\u2019 alley-oop grabs and Cooks\u2019 touchdown.<\/p>\n

All three 49ers touchdowns in the first half came after Seahawks turnovers, and the most stunning came when rookie defensive tackle Gracen Halton forced a George Holani fumble at the goal line and pounced on the loose ball to celebrate his first career touchdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt my hand touch the ball, and as I fell to the ground, I heard people screaming. I turned around, the ball was right there and I got it. All my emotions took over after that,\u201d said Halton, who celebrated with a dance.<\/p>\n

Seattle got pinned down there after a Corliss Waitman punt was downed at the 4-yard line by Ashtyn Davis, but only after Siran Neal\u2019s touchback-saving tip from the 1.<\/p>\n

\"SeattleSeattle Seahawks\u2019 Nehemiah Pritchett (28) forces a fumble on a punt return attempt by San Francisco 49ers\u2019 Jacob Cowing (4) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo\/Stephen Brashear)<\/p>\n

Seattle\u2019s second turnover came courtesy of Warner. Down 10-7, Warner punched the ball from Emmanuel Wilson\u2019s grasp and Malik Mustapha recovered at the Seattle 11-yard line. McCaffrey scored a go-ahead touchdown run on the next snap, zipping past left-side blocks from Connor Colby, Trent Williams and Evans.<\/p>\n

But with that 14-10 lead in hand, things got out of hand with Greenlaw\u2019s sideline shenanigans. He first delivered a shoulder-to-shoulder late hit on a Darnold scramble. As Darnold careened into the bench, Greenlaw got swarmed by Seahawks and headbutted a helmet-less Ernest Jones Jr. to merit a disqualification.<\/p>\n

Sacks by Halton and Osa Odighizuwa stalled that Seahawks drive and Myers\u2019 50-yard field goal cut the 49ers\u2019 lead to 14-13 with 1:56 remaining in the first half.<\/p>\n

The Seahawks\u2019 first turnover came when Green intercepted on third down on their initial possession. That set up a 2-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to Evans, who had a third-down conversion catch the previous play and finished with seven catches for 113 yards.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a walking aura,\u201d Warner said of Evans. \u201cUnreal. Doesn\u2019t say anything, shows up to work, goes out on Sundays and just dominates you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Seahawks answered once Cowing opted against a fair catch and muffed a punt at the 35. The ball went through Cowing\u2019s hands a split second before he was drilled by Pritchett. Former 49ers tight end Eric Saubert emerged from a scrum with the ball, and Wilson would score the equalizer on a 2-yard touchdown run.<\/p>\n

The 49ers, however, emerged from all the chaos with a two-game lead in the NFC West.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s huge. When you can get three in the division to start the year, it sets up for a great start to the year,\u201d right tackle Colton McKivitz said. \u201cEach week, it gets more important, but the main thing is that each week we go 1-0.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added left tackle Trent Williams: \u201cWe don\u2019t talk about it. It\u2019s too early to start looking at records, with 12 games left. Everything can change in a matter of two weeks, so trying to hang your hat on things you\u2019ve done early in the season, I don\u2019t think that helps you out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SEATTLE,SEATTLE, WASHINGTON \u2013 OCTOBER 11: Dre Greenlaw #57 of the San Francisco 49ers is escorted away from the Seattle Seahawks sideline after a late hit on Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks (not pictured) during the second quarter at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE \u2013 An NFC West prize fight broke out here Sunday, complete with touchdowns, turnovers, taunting, tie scores…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":493332,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[752,101,296,103,102,104,106,105,127],"class_list":["post-493331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-nfl","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}