Recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (49ers.com (Briana Jeannel))
Sam Darnold went 20 of 26 for 198 yards and Zach Charbonnet scored on a 27-yard run in the first quarter as the Seattle Seahawks shut down the 49ers 13-3 at Levi's Stadium. Seattle won its first NFC West title since 2020 and clinched the No. 1 seed, home-field advantage, and a first-round bye. The Seahawks outgained the 49ers 196-69 in the first half and took a 10-3 lead into the locker room. Drake Thomas intercepted a pass that went off Christian McCaffrey's hands at the Seattle 3. Eddy Pineiro made a 48-yard field goal for the 49ers' only points. The 49ers finish 12-5 and will play a wild-card game on the road.[1][2][3]
Columnist recap
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (49ers.com (Briana Jeannel))
A 13-3 loss is not the headline anyone in red and gold expected on Saturday night, but it is the headline the 49ers will live with for a week.
Seattle's defense, the second-ranked scoring defense in the league entering the night, did what it has done for two months: contain the run, force three-and-outs, take the football away on the one play that mattered. Drake Thomas intercepted a Purdy throw that went off Christian McCaffrey's hands at the Seattle 3 for the play that ended the 49ers' best chance to take an early lead. From there it was Sam Darnold managing the game and Zach Charbonnet scoring the only Seattle touchdown.
'You can not miss those versus a team like that,' Kyle Shanahan said after. The 49ers missed those. 'This team has been through a lot this year,' Shanahan said. 'Now we have got to do it the hard way, and we will embrace doing it the hard way.' The hard way means a wild-card road game next weekend. The hard way means coming back to Levi's Stadium only if the seeds break the right way. The hard way means winning four straight on the road to a Super Bowl.
12-5. The road to February starts on the road.
By the numbers
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (49ers.com (Briana Jeannel))
Seahawks 13, 49ers 3. Margin: -10. Final regular-season record: 12-5, +66 differential.
- Sam Darnold: 20-of-26 for 198, 0 TD, 0 INT.
- Zach Charbonnet: 27-yard rush TD in Q1.
- First-half yardage: SEA 196, SF 69.
- Drake Thomas: INT at the SEA 3 off McCaffrey hands.
- Pineiro: 48-yard FG (49ers' only points).
- Six-game winning streak snapped.
- Seattle wins NFC West, No. 1 seed, home-field, first-round bye.
- 49ers playing wild-card on the road.
Film room
AI summary, sourced from 1 period article (49ers.com (Briana Jeannel))
A 13-3 loss at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers finish 12-5 and will play a wild-card game on the road.
How it unfolded
Seattle scored first. Zach Charbonnet's 27-yard run capped the opening drive for a 7-0 Seahawks lead. Eddy Pineiro hit a 48-yarder before the half to make it 10-3. The 49ers' first real scoring chance ended on a Drake Thomas interception at the Seattle 3 off a Christian McCaffrey deflection. The second half was a Seahawks defensive shutout: three 49ers possessions, three punts. The Seahawks added a fourth-quarter field goal to make it 13-3 and never threatened to lose the lead.
The turning point
The McCaffrey deflection. With the 49ers driving for a tying touchdown in the second quarter, Brock Purdy's throw into the red zone ricocheted off McCaffrey's hands and into Drake Thomas' arms at the 3-yard line. The Seahawks took over and the 49ers did not get back into scoring range until Pineiro's 48-yarder.
By the numbers
Sam Darnold 20-of-26 for 198 yards, no TDs and no INTs. Charbonnet's 27-yard touchdown the only Seattle six. The 49ers' offense managed 69 yards in the first half, the lowest first-half total of the season. Brock Purdy threw an interception, his second of the night, in the fourth quarter on a strip-sack attempt; his line was incomplete on most of his red-zone throws.
Personnel watch
Linebacker Tatum Bethune and defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu each recorded sacks. The 49ers' defense held Seattle to 13 points on the road; that is winning football most weeks. The offense, against the second-ranked scoring defense in the NFL, did not produce. Pineiro's 48-yard field goal was the 49ers' only score.
What it means
The 49ers' six-game winning streak ends on the night the streak mattered the most. Seattle wins the NFC West and the No. 1 seed. The 49ers' playoffs begin on the road next weekend.
