The San Francisco 49ers edged past the Seattle Seahawks 17-13 thanks to a go-ahead touchdown drive in the final minutes that pushed them over the top.
It was a back-and-forth battle with many highs and many lows, but nonetheless a major victory over a division rival on the road to start the season.
Here are three key takeaways from the 49ers’ 17-13 win over the Seahawks.
Defense shines under Robert Saleh
After two years of inconsistent defenses, the 49ers flourished in Week 1 under Robert Saleh on that side of the ball.
Saleh absolutely shut down Seattle’s offense, limiting the Seahawks to a measly 4.6 yards per play and 146 passing yards.
Early on, it was clear that Saleh was going to put quite a bit on the secondary’s plate, looking to blitz more often than his predecessors and speed up Sam Darnold’s clock in the pocket. As a result, Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak didn’t seem to trust his quarterback for much of this game, calling quick passes and screens that the 49ers were able to sniff out.
San Francisco’s front seven rallied to the football well, with Fred Warner and Dee Winters both looking really good in the season opener. In the secondary, Saleh left his cornerbacks without much help, and both Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green rose to the occasion.
Green was tested more, but he had several really good plays. Of course, as a cornerback, you’re going to get beaten here and there against tough competition, as Green was on the 1-on-1 to Jaxon Smith-Ngijba on Seattle’s final drive. But, San Francisco’s top two corners both played very well on the outside.
The lone blemish defensively was the learning curve of nickelback Upton Stout, who had tough matchups against Cooper Kupp and Smith-Njigba in the slot. Being in 1-on-1 matchups quite a bit, it was evident that Kubiak and the Seahawks offense were looking to pick on the rookie, and they got their way for much of the afternoon.
Perhaps Saleh could’ve shifted the coverage to give Lenoir some more of those 1-on-1 matchups, rather than aligning his corners in their specific spots, but the rest of the 49ers defense played well and came up with key stops when necessary.
None was bigger than Nick Bosa’s pressure + forced fumble at the end of the game to seal the deal, keeping Seattle at 13 points and handing them the loss in the opener. San Francisco only got one sack, but they got enough pressure on Darnold and forced Seattle to primarily operate with a quick passing game, which the 49ers sniffed out.
The biggest issue for the defense in 2024 was stopping the run. While there were some plays to clean up, the 49ers didn’t allow a 10+ yard rush and held Seattle to 84 yards on 3.2 yards per carry. Not bad at all.
This was a strong start to the year defensively, especially given all the moving pieces, and Saleh was at the forefront of it.
The duality of Brock Purdy
The 49ers had quite the ride with Brock Purdy on Sunday, and it ultimately led them to the win with their final offensive drive.
Purdy started the game sharp on the opening drive, finding Ricky Pearsall twice and connecting with George Kittle on a trio of passes as well, with the last one being a five-yard touchdown pass on 3rd & Goal. He was 6/7 for 66 yards and the touchdown, leading a 14-play, 95-yard drive for a score.
He also had some nice throws a couple of drives later while leading the 49ers into another goal-to-go situation, but San Francisco ultimately settled for a field goal attempt, with Jake Moody missing a 27-yarder to start the season.
The Niners opened up the second half with a quality drive, thanks to a Christian McCaffrey 25-yard catch, but Purdy made a major mistake, throwing off his back foot into coverage, resulting in an interception. He was looking for Jauan Jennings over the middle of the field, but Seattle was all over it, as Ernest Jones had a deep drop, and Purdy’s throw didn’t have enough on it.
There were times when Purdy seemed to be doing a little too much, as he acknowledged was an issue last year. Purdy repeatedly held the ball for over three seconds, and a throw like his first interception was unnecessary with options open in the flat on 1st & 10.
That’s the duality of what you get with Purdy. When in rhythm, Purdy can be on one, as seen in the first drive. When things aren’t coming as easily, though, he can try to force things and do a little too much, which results in him holding onto the ball sometimes.
Now, there was also quite a bit of pressure from the Seahawks today, with Purdy getting pressured on over 57 percent of his dropbacks, which was the highest rate of his career. So, there needs to be some cleanup there, but also some with the signal-caller getting the ball out quicker.
But, Purdy bounced back with a nice 24-yard pass to Ricky Pearsall to the outside, placing a ball well to the sidelines with Tariq Woolen in coverage that sparked another potential scoring drive. Later on that drive, though, in a goal-to-go situation, he missed an open Ricky Pearsall for a touchdown, throwing the ball a tad late and with not enough on it, which allowed Woolen to make a break on the ball and force an incompletion.
One drive later, the quarterback threw another untimely interception, forcing a ball into triple coverage despite facing a relatively clean pocket.
Still, Purdy and the 49ers got another chance for a game-winning drive with three minutes left, and the quarterback delivered. He had a great deep ball to Pearsall on a double-move, beating Tariq Woolen for a 45-yard completion. He then completed four straight passes, with the last one coming on a crucial 3rd & Goal, where tight end Jake Tonges made a crazy catch for the go-ahead score.
That ball itself could’ve been interception, but Purdy extended a play and gave his receiver a chance, resulting in the pick.
This game was the perfect epitome of Purdy’s two sides. There’s the side that works well in structure and extends plays to keep drives alive, and also the side that can take unnecessary risks by sometimes doing too much. Honing in the latter will go a long way for Purdy’s growth, but he had enough of the former to help the 49ers win the game at the end.
Christian McCaffrey’s back
Looking at the beginning of the game, it was fair to question how Christian McCaffrey was looking, as the 49ers weren’t getting much traction on the ground at all.
However, in the second half, it was clear how much of an advantage McCaffrey was to the 49ers, and how the team plans to use him.
The running back was a huge mismatch in the passing game, leading the team with nine catches for 73 yards. He also rushed 22 times for 69 yards, while Brian Robinson came in a good amount as well.
With the 49ers not having much stability at wide receiver, George Kittle getting injured, and Jauan Jennings going out in the fourth quarter, McCaffrey was essential for Brock Purdy in the second half.
He was also able to open up a few runs at the end, although the 49ers were extremely ineffective running the ball in the red zone. Assuming he’s able to stay fresh enough, it’s clear how much he changes the team’s ceiling as a do-it-all back.
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