The San Francisco 49ers sealed a momentous 36-24 victory this Thursday in the field of the Seattle Seahawks, their divisional rivals in the West of the NFL National Conference, to catch their breath after last Sunday’s traumatic loss against the Arizona Cardinals .
Seattle’s Lumen Field hosted a very heavy crossing in the balance of the NFC after the lackluster start of the Niners, still orphaned by Christian McCaffrey. The Californians balanced their record of wins and losses (3-3) and inflicted the third straight setback on the Seahawks (3-3).
With this test of strength at home, the Niners snatched the lead in the NFC West from the Seahawks. They also beat them for the sixth consecutive time, before facing Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs next week in the reissue of the last Super Bowl lost by the Californians in Las Vegas.
Quarterback Brock Purdy led the victory with 255 yards thrown (18 of 28 passing) and three touchdown passes, the most spectacular of which to Deebo Samuel (76 yards on that reception, 102 in total).
George Kittle sealed two TDs in a great night, in which he received five times, for 58 yards. Kyle Juszczyk scored the 49ers’ other ‘TD’ on the run, in which Isaac Guerendo ran for up to 99 yards on ten runs.
For the Seahawks, Geno Smith threw for 312 yards (30-of-52 passing), with a touchdown pass, but was intercepted twice, by Renardo Green and Malik Mustapha.
Kenneth Walker rushed for 32 yards on fourteen carries and scored a TD. Tyler Lockett had a TD reception, and Laviska Shenault sealed a spectacular TD return.
The game couldn’t have started better for the 49ers. Malik Mustapha intercepted Smith on the first drive and the Californians took control of the game with a subsequent Wright field goal from 25 yards out.
Shanahan’s team stepped on the accelerator in the second period, with a monumental 76-yard connection between Purdy and Deebo Samuel, who scored the first touchdown of the night in style. Two field goals from a perfect Wright, respectively from 41 and 35 yards, increased the lead to a tough 16-0.
Although Jason Myers’ foot from 20 yards cut it to 3-16 on the brink of halftime, the duel seemed already doomed as soon as the restart began with a spectacular ‘TD’ by Kittle (10 yards) on a pass from Purdy. The tight end showed off all his talent as he shuffled his feet on the ground to stay inside the end zone.
However, the Seahawks have character and they showed it again tonight with a noble reaction. Laviska Shenault led the way with a spectacular return TD. He traveled 97 yards and brought electricity back to a game in which, at the end of the third period, Kenneth Walker scored the score on the run that increased the score to 17-23.
The Seahawks had the ball to even take the lead and complete a stellar comeback, but the Niners defense, led by a great Nick Bosa, closed down. Purdy and Kittle did the rest. Nine-yard line from the ‘QB’ for the tight end, who celebrated the fifth ‘TD’ of his season to make it 29-17 with 6.20 remaining.
It was enough for the Niners, although the heart of the Seahawks led them to cut it back with 1.44 left thanks to a ‘TD’ by Tyler Lockett with a nine-yard reception). Juszczyk had the last word for the Niners, who leave Seattle with a major victory in the NFC.
