We witnessed this in Seattle. The San Francisco 49ers’ Week 5 win over the Seahawks was the game of the year.
You’d think a 61-point contest would feature two offenses battling it out on the field. Neither quarterback threw for more than 200 yards. Despite all the scores, only two of those drives went more than 45 yards.
Kyle Shanahan improved to 47-8 after winning the turnover battle. The 49ers needed those four turnovers to outlast their road rivals. The victory required all hands on deck, as attrition and ejections took a toll on the road team.
Here are the winners and losers who tell the story of the 49ers’ action-packed, roller-coaster victory that kept them undefeated.
You could only marvel at what Mike Evans did against an afterthought as being among the best in the NFL.
No one has had any doubt this season about who Brock Purdy wants to throw the ball to. This did not change on Sunday.
Evans had more targets than the rest of the receivers combined. On final downs, Purdy targeted him 57.1% of the time. In the red zone, Evans had 40% of the targets.
Evans finished with seven receptions on 10 targets for 113 yards. Last year, the 49ers struggled to attack the middle part of the field against the Seahawks. During this go-around, Evans’ average target depth was 15.8 meters. They trusted him to open the floor, and Evans rewarded Purdy time and time again.
Seattle looked shocked that Evans was able to make the plays he did during a 12-play drive that gave the 49ers the lead in the fourth quarter. Evans led off with a first-down reception that beat the Seattle cornerback. A 15-yarder after taking a shot in the ribs on 1st and 20 erased a penalty from Brandin Cooks. The drive looked like it was going to end after a four-yard loss on second down.
But on third-and-10, Evans, who Tom Brady criticized for going outside on a breaking route, was too big for the defender and picked up 23 yards. Evans tortured Jobe one last time, catching a 28-yard pass on 2nd and 21.
This was the most impactful practice by a talented player under Kyle Shanahan that I can remember.
Renardo Green’s first interception came on a 51-yard punt that was caught at the 11. Waitman’s next punt was caught and the ensuing drive went three and out. Waitman’s third and fourth punts were well caught inside the 10. Gracen Halton doesn’t score a touchdown without the punter pinning a kick inside the five.
There were some special teams mistakes, but the punt team was excellent.
The 49ers are built to defend and stop the pass. The defense is at its best when Keion White is on the field, lined up along the line of scrimmage.
Against Seattle’s offensive line, White had a pressure rate of 21.4%. He had six pressures in the game, four against different players.
White managed two running stops and a few tackles for loss. He dominated the Seahawks from the start. Through five games, he looks like a supercharged version of what Charles Omenihu gave the Niners in 2023.
Without Dre Greenlaw, Garret Wallow was the logical replacement. After all, Wallow toured with Greenlaw all season long. If Week 5 taught us anything, it’s that Dugger shouldn’t leave the field. No player has grown and risen to the occasion like Dugger did against the Seahawks.
Dugger had already made a tackle for loss by flashing before Greenlaw’s ejection. So maybe Raheem Morris felt Dugger could fit Seattle’s physicality.
Dugger finished with seven solo tackles, pressured Sam Darnold twice and minimized coverage damage on three targets; he made Darnold look in different directions several times and, above all, he looked like he belonged on the field in a playoff atmosphere away from home, playing a position he barely plays during the week.
Green intercepted Darnold on the same sideline where he was picked off in the playoffs last year. His second interception was a carbon copy of the one Purdy threw last season to Jake Tonges against the Seahawks on a similar route.
Green had another pass breakup. On four targets, one achievement was allowed for a grand total of one meter. The 49ers did not take advantage of the quarterback’s mistakes. The cornerbacks were unable to “bait” them. Green
Purdy had the second-longest average throw time (3.2 seconds) among all NFL quarterbacks this week. He also had the eighth slowest average time to pressure (2.69 seconds). There were many setbacks when Purdy had all day to scan the field. There were times when he was accelerated and left the pocket prematurely. He was put under pressure on 38.2% of his drops. As a reminder, Darnold was pressured on 51.4% of his dropbacks.
I don’t think Shanahan thought he would be as successful with the ball, which is why they didn’t do it. Christian McCaffrey averaged 3.27 yards before contact. Shanahan would have thrown the ball 50 times if he knew his offensive line would generate the movement they did in the second half.
Byron Murphy is a special player. He’s going to get his. He took advantage of Connor Colby. But the offensive line held Leonard Williams and Demarcus Robinson in check and prevented them from disrupting the offense.
Besides Colby, Dominick Puni allowed two pressures on 34 pass-blocking snaps, while Jake Brendel, Colton McKivitz and Trent Williams each had one. According to Sumer Sports, McKivitz led the way with five impact plays. Colby had four, Brendel had 3, Puni had 2, and Williams had one.
Greenlaw lasted 25 snaps before his emotions got the better of him. A late hit on Darnold cost the defense 15 yards. It was bad enough that the penalty was called on the Seattle sideline. Instead of leaving the sideline and returning to the huddle, Greenlaw looked like he was looking for trouble. He found it when he came face to face with Ernest Jones. After headbutting Jones, who was not wearing his helmet, Greenlaw was ejected.
Dre put Dugger in a difficult situation. We saw Luke Gifford playing in 5-man fronts for the first time all season because Dugger replaced Greenlaw. The domino effect of the ejection could have been disastrous. There’s a script where Gifford is attacked in cover, and Dugger looks like most rookies in a road environment.
Dugger playing nice doesn’t absolve Greenlaw of his actions.
Ball security of Deebo Samuel and Jacob Cowing
The fear is that Samuel’s hamstring injury could be serious, as he was immediately ruled out. The fumble could be a result of the shock caused by the injury. However, this is his second in as many weeks. The 49ers weren’t as lucky getting this one back.
Cowing’s fumble was less about ball security and more about decision-making. He needs to sense the gunners or see them out of his peripheral vision. His muffed punt should have been a good catch.
Déommodore Lenoir and Upton Stout
Lenoir and Stout combined to complete eight targets for eight receptions and 125 yards. Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to dominate this match. He caught all three receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown – the screen was technically Lenoir’s “man.” Lenoir gave up an out route for a first down to Cooper Kupp on third down in the low red zone. He didn’t seem confident.
Stout also missed a tackle.
Pineiro missed another kick on Sunday. He is 31st in the NFL in field goal completion percentage and 28th in extra point percentage this season. This team has Super Bowl aspirations. The matches will come down to the wire, especially in the playoffs. The last thing you want is to take out a kicker who only goes 2 of 3.
I’m torn by Purdy’s performance. I thought you could pin at least one sack and a few pressures on the quarterback. He sprayed the ball and missed a few receivers. He was late and inaccurate on a throw to Jacob Cowing because he didn’t read the coverage correctly.
Purdy finished 21st in success rate for Week 5 and 19th in EPA per play. So, including Mike Evans’ drive, he was still statistically below average. For three quarters, Brock seemed content to throw underneath. Despite nearly 60 percent of his throws falling short of 10 yards, Purdy’s completion percentage was good for 24th this week, sandwiched between Jalen Hurts and Daniel Jones. Purdy was just 2-for-6 from five yards against the blitz.
But he made plays with structure that kept drives alive, starting with the first, when he found Evans along the sideline before connecting in the end zone. It would have been easy for Purdy to tuck his tail and be conservative after his interception. Instead, he remained the aggressor.
After the game, Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald said, “Their quarterback is a really good player. He saw a lot of off-schedule games today. Just a tough guy to put on the field. He has a sixth sense for where everyone is at.”
Down five on 2nd and goal, Purdy didn’t throw the touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks until six seconds had passed.
A bag. A forced fumble. A fumble recovered for a touchdown. Two tackles for loss. Two more presses. A pressure rate (20%) good for eighth best among defensive interiors in Week 5.
He did all this in 32 snaps.
Halton looks like a keeper. You can’t take him out of the starting lineup given the way he’s played.
Height had no sacks and only had two pressures, but he managed a higher win rate than White. Size was directly responsible for two incompletions. Height is on pace to sack the quarterback in consecutive weeks now. He gets really excited when he can pin his ears back.
James was a pleasant surprise as a returning player. He averaged 30.8 yards on four returns. He had a 39-yarder that looked like it hit 10 more yards. If Deebo is out and Cowing’s usage on offense increases, James is the primary kick returner. If he runs like he did on Sunday, that’s great news for the Niners.
James also forced a holding call on a kickoff, backing up Seattle on its final drive.
Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha
The safety duo was targeted six times and allowed six yards of coverage. Each of them broke up a pass. They also combined for six impact plays, which helps forget Mustapha’s two missed tackles. Mustapha is an enforcer. He rocked JSN after a big hit. He also recovered the fumble forced by Warner.
Brown made a huge save on third down. He’s been quietly good for most of the season, with most of his plays going unnoticed.
Gn sports
