Stop me if you’ve heard this before – the San Francisco 49ers sustain injuries to key players, turn the ball over and are a mess on special teams. Here’s what you haven’t heard in awhile. They overcome it all to beat the Seattle Seahawks, 17-13, in Week 1 on the road. These are not your 2024 49ers.
The Likely and the Unlikely Heroes
It all came down to an unlikely hero and a likely hero. Let’s start with the unlikely one.
TE George Kittle left early in the game with a hamstring injury, and did not return, meaning tight ends Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell had to pick up the slack, which they did.
It was 3rd-and-3 from the Seattle 4-yard line with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter. 49ers QB Brock Purdy was looking for an open receiver – there wasn’t one – and was close to being sacked, when he threw the ball into what looked like a gaggle of Seahawks, before finding the hands of Tonges for a touchdown.
“It was my first game-winner, in my whole career, so [it was] definitely exciting, and a dream come true,” Tonges said after the game.
Purdy joked that he knew [Tonges] was going to come down with it all along.
“It was a fast break, so you step up and snap the ball quick,” Purdy said. “It was a straight across the board read. I felt the coverage was tight. At that point, I felt like I needed to leave the pocket, try to find a guy in the end zone. As I’m going away, put it, hopefully, to where Tonges can get it, or nobody can get it. It was a close call, but he used his length, came down with it.”
Seattle got the ball back with 1:34 left, but pass rusher Nick Bosa sacked Seahawks’ quarterback Sam Darnold, forced a fumble and recovered said fumble with 0:42 left in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
“It was a grind of a game, lots of ups and downs,” Bosa said. “It tested us in a lot of ways, so it was really good. Ending with a win is what were always aiming for, and the fact that I was able to help is always great.”
A grind of a game is the appropriate term.
“That was one that could have gone either way, especially after the missed field goal, [the blocked field goal] and a few of the big injuries in that game. So for us to still find a way to close that out and win, I’m real proud of this year’s team,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Purdy finished the day 26-of-35 for 277 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The two interceptions were not pretty, but Purdy recovered and found a way to get San Francisco the win.
“It was huge,” Shanahan said. “There were some big plays at the end. We were back-and-forth. It kept getting tighter and tighter. To make that big play to [WR Ricky Pearsall] to get the explosive to get us down there, and that play he made on fourth down was huge. I think biggest one on the drive was him going across the board on a progression – just a tough deal to do for a quarterback.”
Speaking of Pearsall, the second-year wide receiver finished the day with 4 receptions for 108 yards, including a 45-yarder on the second play of the game-winning drive. For Pearsall, who missed the first half of his rookie season, while recovering from a gunshot wound to his shoulder, playing, and performing, in Week 1 was a big deal.
“After the win, I was just going around, I was like, ‘1-0!’ My first Week 1 game, actually…It was really good to go out here, a divisional game, first game of the season, setting the tone for us moving forward, so it was a really good feeling.”
RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) not only started, but he also had 31 total touches – 22 carries for 69 yards and 9 receptions for 73 yards. So, yeah, he’s fine.
The Jake Moody of It All
Kicker Jake Moody continued to struggle, make only one of his three field goal attempts. The first miss was a 27-yarder in the second quarter and then later had a field goal blocked. The latter was not on Moody – and the special teams unit brought its 2024 struggles into 2025 – but it’s indicative of a bigger problem, in that the 49ers cannot rely on their kicker.
Shanahan was asked if he had any question that Moody would remain the kicker, and he said, “no question.” Stay tuned.
Injuries
Kittle and WR Jauan Jennings (shoulder) will have MRIs tomorrow to determine the severity of their injuries.
The 49ers head to New Orleans to take on the Saints in Week 2.