Santa Clara – Nick Bosa exited the game with a hip injury, and the Seattle Seahawks capitalized on his absence, scoring two touchdowns after his departure. The 49ers lost their late-game lead when the Seahawks scored with just 12 seconds remaining, securing a 20-17 victory over San Francisco.
Bosa had been managing a hip injury throughout the week and missed practice sessions leading up to the game. He played through the discomfort until late in the third quarter. Before leaving, Bosa recorded four tackles and 1.5 sacks on Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, bringing his season total to 7.0 sacks and his career total to 60.5. His 60.5 career sacks rank third in franchise history.
“I’m just extremely disappointed,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. “I thought we had a chance to put them away a number of times throughout the game. I thought the penalties we had on a number of drives just killed us. I thought we had some good momentum and then had a penalty that kind of ended the drive on two big drives.”
After Bosa’s exit, the Seahawks leaned on their running game, with Kenneth Walker III powering into the end zone on a 1-yard rush to give Seattle a 13-10 lead. San Francisco’s defense, which had kept the Seahawks limited to 6 points (two field goals) in the first half, began to falter, exposing vulnerabilities in their own game. The 49ers’ struggles were compounded by nine penalties, totaling 54 yards, which proved to be a significant setback.
The Niners got off to a slow start, they were unsuccessful on their first series and were forced to punt. Later in the first quarter, they relied on their running game to advance the ball downfield. Despite tight coverage by the Seahawks, the 49ers struggled to reach the red zone comfortably. However, Brock Purdy found an opening and scrambled into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown, making it a 7-3 game at the end of the half.
Smith threw an interception early in the third quarter. His target was Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a deep pass, but Isaac Yiadom intercepted it. Despite the turnover, San Francisco was unable to find the end zone, struggling against the Seahawks’ strong defense. Jake Moody converted a 33-yard field goal, extending the 49ers lead to 10-6.
“It was just one of those games where you just couldn’t hurt yourself,” Purdy said. “I feel like we had just some mishaps with some penalties, and we had opportunities where we’re moving the ball, and we just kept hurting ourselves.”
“I think each game has its own lens, and they’re all different,” said Christain McCaffrey. “This game, I think I have to make a better read on one of those runs and maybe close it out there. I think everybody can look in the mirror and look at themselves and find a few things to work on and get better at to help close games out.”
McCaffrey logged 19 carries for 79 yards on the ground, complemented by four receptions for 27 yards through the air. With 106 total yards from scrimmage, he recorded his second game of the season with 100 or more scrimmage yards and the 57th such game of his career.
McCaffrey’s 57 games with 100 or more scrimmage yards rank as the most among active running backs.
The 49ers’ loss today dropped them to 5-5, placing them in last place in the NFC West. With two divisional games remaining—against the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals—the Niners still have an opportunity to turn things around. The Cardinals currently lead the division at 6-4, while the Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers are tied at 5-5.
Photo by 49ers/Twitter
