SEATTLE — As dreaded as “Thursday Night Football” games are for quick turnarounds, the 49ers used their turn to showcase why they own the NFL’s No. 1 defense — and the NFC West title.
They also showed why rookie quarterback Brock Purdy is savvy enough to direct their offense into the playoffs, with the help of George Kittle (two touchdown catches), Christian McCaffrey (one touchdown, 138 total yards) and an overlooked offensive line.
This 21-13 triumph over the Seahawks secured the division title and a third playoff berth in four seasons, which will be the No. 3 seed unless the 49ers (10-4) can overtake the Philadelphia Eagles (12-1) and, more realistically, the Minnesota Vikings (10-3).
With their win streak at seven, the 49ers now get the weekend off ahead of a Christmas Eve visit by the Washington Commanders (7-5-1). The Seahawks (7-7) have lost four of five in a freefall out of the NFC West race.
The 49ers’ defense wilted a bit in the closing minutes, allowing a 10-yard touchdown pass on a busted coverage with 3:35 remaining. Of course it wouldn’t be a cake walk, not when the 49ers had won only five times in their previous 21 games since Seattle opened this raucous venue in 2002.
Of all Thursday’s plays, leave it to linebacker Dre Greenlaw to make a heroic one in a NFC West-clinching victory here, just as he did in the 2019 regular-season finale.
The 49ers led just 7-3 in an otherwise dominant half, Greenlaw delivered a supersonic hit to force a fumble near midfield, leading to Charvarius Ward’s return to the 5-yard line and then McCaffrey’s 1-yard touchdown plunge 47 seconds before halftime, for a 14-3 cushion.
Purdy, playing with oblique and rib injuries from Sunday’s starting debut against Tampa Bay, completed his first 11 passes. More impressive, he spotted Kittle wide open for a pair of touchdowns. Kittle put the 49ers ahead 7-0 with a 28-yard touchdown reception (17 yards after the catch) and 21-3 on a 54-yard grab (35-yard YAC).
Purdy was 17-of-26 passing for 217 yards, and, for a second straight start, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His legs helped ice the win: On third-and-1, he dashed toward the sideline and slid for a first down, with 2:16 left to kill the clock. Jordan Mason closed things, with a 55-yard run to the 1, then a kneel down.
The 49ers' offense should have put up more points, but so goes life without Deebo Samuel, whose sprained knee and ankle Sunday could sideline him a couple of more games, if not until the playoffs.
Helping matters was the 49ers’ top-ranked defense, especially in the final minute before halftime. Once Jimmie Ward wrapped up Travis Homer on a short catch, Greenlaw arrived on the scene and slammed his right shoulder into Homer. The ball popped free, Ward collected it and dashed to the 5-yard line. The 49ers parlayed that turnover into a McCaffrey touchdown, which came on a 1-yard run through a path cleared by linemen Trent Williams and Aaron Banks, with assists to Jake Brendel and Spencer Burford.
Greenlaw was far from the only dominant defender, though his fumble-forcing hit elicited memories of “Big Play Dre’s” 2019 goal-line stop that preserved a win that clinched the division and No. 1-seed.
Nick Bosa enhanced his NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidacy by reclaiming the NFL sack lead, doing so on a third-quarter effort that marked sack No. 15 1/2 this season, matching last season’s career high. That, somewhat, avenged a questionable, roughing-the-passer penalty he drew earlier on the drive, which negated Deommodore Lenoir’s 37-yard interception return for a touchdown and a potential 28-3 lead.
Purdy, aside from his 11-of-11 start, put up similar passing numbers to Sunday’s first start against the Bucs. A third-down conversion to Jauan Jennings with 12 minutes to go put Purdy at 16 of 22 for 189 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Against the Bucs, Purdy was 16 of 21 for 185 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
After the 49ers punted with 10 minutes to go and their lead idling at 21-6, Purdy headed toward the bench, where he didn’t take an immediate seat but instead listened to quarterbacks coach Brian Griese for a minute. Kittle then came over, put his hands on Purdy’s shoulders and seemed to offer encouraging words.
McCaffrey had 19 first-half touches (on the 49ers’ 30 plays) for 87 yards. He was the go-to man needed to help out a rookie making his first road start in arguably the NFL’s most raucous venue.
Seattle’s offensive possessions in the first half produced: five punts, a field goal and the lost fumble.
But the Seahawks came alive in the closing minutes, with Noah Fant left open for a 10-yard touchdown catch following a 33-yard catch-and-run by running back Kenneth Walker.
That was too little too late against a 49ers’ offense that got just enough points from Purdy & Co. The 49ers took a 7-0 lead when Purdy threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Kittle, capping an 86-play drive that took nine plays. Seven of those plays went to McCaffrey, highlighted by a 23-yard run. The other play was a third-down conversion catch by, who else, Jennings.
On Kittle’s scoring catch-and-run, Purdy faked a throw left to Ray-Ray McCloud (who went in motion behind him), faked a throw right to McCaffrey (who touched the ball on seven on the previous eight snaps), and, finally, Purdy threw over the middle to an open Kittle, who raced 17 yards after the catch on a carefree angle to the end zone.
The 49ers defense lost its shutout bid 4:47 before halftime, having allowed the Seahawks to reach the 20-yard line before back-to-back incompletions set up a 38-yard field goal.
Purdy opened 11 of 11 for 98 yards, before back-to-back incompletions in the second quarter. Quandre Diggs’ blitzed for the Seahawks’ first hit on Purdy to force that first incompletion. Diggs dropped a potential interception on third-and-11 at midfield, coming out of the two-minute warning before halftime.
The 49ers outgained the Seahawks 108-2 in the first quarter, and defensive heroics came from everyone and everywhere. Azeez Al-Shaair and Ward made tackles for loss. Talanoa Hufanga had a strip sack. Fred Warner made a third-down stop. Greenlaw dropped a potential interception but then hurried a third-down incompletion. Then there was the pass rush from Arik Armstead, Kerry Hyder Jr. and Bosa.
