The 49ers look like the NFL’s best team after surviving a heavyweight fight
The last time San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy played in Seattle, he could lead an injury-laden 49ers team to only two field goals in a 35-point playoff loss to the Super Bowl-bound Seahawks.
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On Sunday, Purdy led San Francisco to a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter of a 32-29 win, handing Seattle its first home loss in 371 days.
Is San Francisco headed to the Super Bowl next? There’s a long way to go, but the 49ers are 5-0 for the third time under coach Kyle Shanahan — and the last two times they were still playing in February.
Sunday’s game was an instant classic, a matchup filled with wild moments and playoff intensity. The teams combined for a whopping seven turnovers and multiple personal fouls, and one player — San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw — was even ejected.
The defenses largely dominated until the fourth quarter. That was when Purdy, perhaps the MVP favorite through the first four weeks and change of the NFL season, stepped up.
Trailing 26-21, Purdy led the 49ers on a 12-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans. Purdy then threw to Evans again to convert a 2-point attempt to put San Francisco ahead 29-26.
After a Seattle field goal, the 49ers traveled 43 yards in eight plays for a 44-yard field goal that proved to be the game winner.
“I thought Brock did an unbelievable job finding a way there to win at the end,” Shanahan said. “There were some ups and downs. By no means was everything perfect. He was really good in the fourth quarter.”
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On the Seahawks’ final possession, the offense couldn’t convert a fourth-and-10 — though whether receiver Cooper Kupp was able to stretch the ball for a first down on the play seemed up for debate.
While neither quarterback was great Sunday, Purdy had some impressive moments considering the circumstances. Facing the NFL’s second-best defense in expected points added per play, Purdy capitalized on early turnovers before he managed the two scoring drives in the fourth.
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And he did so with a depleted receiving corps. The 49ers entered Sunday with four receivers on injured reserve. Then Deebo Samuel and Jacob Cowing were injured during the game.
“We got a bunch of warriors,” Shanahan said of the backups who stepped up. “Everyone knows the talent and the stars of some of the guys on our team. What makes our guys special is how much they love football, how much they give it up every week.”
Among those who played key roles Sunday was Evans, who caught a season-high seven passes for 113 yards and a score, plus the 2-pointer for good measure.
“He’s a game-changer,” Purdy said. “As a quarterback, any time I have to go to him it always feels good.”
Evans told Fox after the game: “We knew it was going to be a dogfight. They’re a great team, and we came out here and showed we’re a great team, as well.”
Purdy finished with a so-so stat line by his standards: 19 of 29 passing for 189 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. More important, though, he outplayed his counterpart, Sam Darnold, and found a way to shepherd two go-ahead drives in the game’s biggest moments.
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The 49ers now have the league’s most impressive résumé through five weeks. San Francisco has the best point differential in the NFL, and three of its five wins have come against teams with winning records. And two of those wins came against teams that are both legitimate championship contenders and divisional rivals: Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams.
Purdy has been spectacular this season. After the Week 5 win, he has now thrown for 13 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Sunday’s game was the only one this season in which he has posted a passer rating under 100, and he still posted a mark of 92.5.
The 49ers have done all of that despite being beset with injuries. While the Seahawks were down some of their own key players Sunday, San Francisco ultimately pulled out an ugly win on the road against a team that hadn’t lost at home in over a year — a sign of how much stronger the 49ers look compared with a season ago.
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