The last time San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy played in Seattle, he could have led an injury-laden 49ers team to just two field goals in a 35-point playoff loss to the Seahawks en route to the Super Bowl.
On Sunday, Purdy led San Francisco to a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter of a 32-29 victory, handing Seattle its first home loss in 371 days.
Is San Francisco headed to the Super Bowl next? There’s a long way to go, but the 49ers are 5-0 for the third time under coach Kyle Shanahan — and the last two times they were still playing in February.
Sunday’s game was an instant classic, a game filled with crazy moments and playoff intensity. The teams combined for seven turnovers and several personal fouls, and one player — San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw — was even ejected.
The defenses largely dominated until the fourth quarter. That’s when Purdy, perhaps the MVP favorite through the NFL’s first four weeks and change of season, stepped up.
Leading 26-21, Purdy led the 49ers on a 12-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that resulted in a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans. Purdy then threw again to Evans to convert a 2-point attempt to put San Francisco ahead 29-26.
After a Seattle field goal, the 49ers drove 43 yards in eight plays for a 44-yard field goal that proved to be the game winner.
“I thought Brock did an incredible job of finding a way to win in the end,” Shanahan said. “There were ups and downs. It wasn’t perfect by any means. He was really good in the fourth quarter.”
On the Seahawks’ final possession, the offense was unable to convert a fourth-and-10 — although whether receiver Cooper Kupp was able to stretch the ball for a first down on the play seemed to be up for debate.
Although neither quarterback was great on Sunday, Purdy had some impressive moments considering the circumstances. Facing the NFL’s second-best defense in expected points added per play, Purdy capitalized on early turnovers before making both goals in the fourth.
And he did it with a depleted receiving corps. The 49ers entered Sunday with four receivers on injured reserve. Then, Deebo Samuel and Jacob Cowing were injured during the match.
“We have a group of warriors,” Shanahan said of the reinforcements that have come in. “Everyone knows the talent and stars of some of the guys on our team. What makes our guys special is how much they love football, how much they give up on it every week.”
Among those who played a key role Sunday was Evans, who caught a season-high seven passes for 113 yards and a score, plus the 2-point field goal for good measure.
“He’s a game changer,” Purdy said. “As a quarterback, any time I have to go to him, it always feels good.”
Evans told Fox after the game, “We knew it was going to be a dogfight. They’re a great team, and we came out here and showed that we’re a great team, too.”
Purdy finished with a mediocre stat line by his standards: 19-of-29 passing for 189 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. But more importantly, he outplayed his counterpart, Sam Darnold, and found a way to head two free kicks in the game’s biggest moments.
The 49ers now have the most impressive resume in the league through five weeks. San Francisco has the best point differential in the NFL, and three of its five wins have come against teams with a winning record. And two of those wins came against teams that are both legitimate championship contenders and division rivals: Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams.
Purdy has been spectacular this season. After the Week 5 win, he has now thrown for 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Sunday’s game was the only one this season in which he posted a passer rating below 100, and he still posted a 92.5 rating.
The 49ers did all of this despite injuries. While the Seahawks lost some of their key players on Sunday, San Francisco finally pulled out an ugly road victory against a team that hadn’t lost at home in over a year – a sign of how strong the 49ers are compared to a season ago.
Gn sports
