Brock Purdy helms Niners past Seahawks and back into NFC West lead
Deebo Samuel didn’t hesitate when asked what worked for the San Francisco 49ers.
“Brock Purdy,” Samuel said.
Purdy threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and the Niners never trailed in a 36-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
Samuel had a catch-and-run touchdown of 76 yards and finished with three catches for 102 yards for the defending NFC champions (3-3), who tied with Seattle (3-3) for first place in the NFC West after an uneven start to the season.
George Kittle added five receptions for 58 yards and two scores for the 49ers, who defeated the Seahawks for the sixth straight time. Kyle Juszczyk had a late TD run, and he and Kittle both celebrated their scores by jumping into the stands to hug their wives, who sat together in the front row.
Matthew Wright, who came to San Francisco earlier this week to replace injured kicker Jake Moody, had a trio of first-half goals from 25, 41 and 35 yards.
“If everyone gets it right and we do our thing, we’re a tough team to beat,” Purdy said.
Geno Smith passed for 312 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice, and the Seahawks lost their third straight game after a 3-0 start under first-year coach Mike Macdonald.
“We just don’t do the things that good football teams do to win football games, and that’s why we go on offense. We’re going to take a breather here and really go back and completely dissect this thing,” Macdonald said.
Four days after leading 23-10 at halftime and losing to division rival Arizona, San Francisco fended off a second-half challenge from Seattle, which got a boost from Laviska Shenault Jr.’s 97-yard kickoff for a touchdown in the third quarter .
After the 49ers punted, Smith led a 94-yard drive and Kenneth Walker III scored from 1 yard out to get Seattle within 23-17.
But Smith’s second interception, this one by Renardo Green, set up Kittle’s second TD of the game and a 29-17 lead for the Niners.
Smith found Tyler Lockett for a nine-yard scoring pass with 1:44 left to cut the score to 29-24. San Francisco responded with Isaac Guerendo’s 76-yard sprint downfield, which led to Juszczyk’s six-yard TD run – a welcome conclusion for a team that has struggled to close games.
“We talk about it all the time, and it’s something we’ve had to get better at this season,” Purdy said. “The coach always says, no matter what the score is, our offense has to be able to score points when our team needs it.”
Seattle’s struggles with the run game continued, with the team finishing with 20 carries for 52 yards – 32 from Walker.
Smith was intercepted on Seattle’s opening drive. The Seahawks were at the San Francisco 25 when rookie safety Malik Mustapha knocked down a pass intended for Lockett.
Jordan Mason broke free for a 38-yard run on San Francisco’s first series, but the drive ended with Wright’s 25-yard field goal.
Samuel hauled in an early second-quarter pass from Purdy and shook off a defender for the 76-yard TD that put the 49ers ahead 10-0. Samuel became the first receiver in NFL history with twenty or more rushing touchdowns and more than twenty receiving scores.
Darrell Luter Jr forced a fumble on the Seahawks’ return and Tatum Bethune recovered at the Seattle 29. Wright capped that drive with a 41-yard field goal. Wright’s third field goal gave the Niners a 16-0 lead late in the second quarter.
Aided by a pass interference call that put the ball on the two-yard line, Smith threw three incomplete passes before the Seahawks settled for Jason Myers’ 20-yard field goal as the first half expired.
Purdy found Kittle for a 10-yard touchdown to start the second half, making it 23-3.
“He’s a baller,” Purdy said of Kittle. “Obviously, when you get the ball in his hands, he can do what he can do. He can break tackles. Just explosive for a tight end.”
Mason, who left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury, later returned to finish with 73 yards on nine carries for the 49ers as he continues to fill in for the injured Christian McCaffrey.
Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins said he isn’t frustrated yet.
“We have the right people in the room to get the job done. We just have to be real and be accountable. And as long as we do that, we should be fine,” Jenkins said. “But it has to happen sooner or later.”