The San Francisco 49ers shouldn't have worried too much after starting the season 2-3. Despite a few defeats, they were certainly still one of the best teams in football.
It's not perfect yet for the 49ers, and injuries have a lot to do with that. But don't believe that San Francisco has lost much.
The 49ers had a dominant lead in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks, allowed the Seahawks to get back into the game briefly in the second half, and ultimately slammed the door behind them and defeated their NFC West rival once again. George Kittle scored twice, Deebo Samuel Sr. scored a long touchdown, and the defense secured a 36-24 victory after a great interception in the fourth quarter. With the win, the 49ers move back to .500.
In an ideal world, San Francisco would not allow Seattle back into the game, would still have an undefeated record, and would be the talk of the NFL. This start wasn't ideal. But the 49ers are still pretty good.
The 49ers quickly took the lead
One of the reasons the Seahawks made the somewhat surprising decision to end the Pete Carroll era was because they had been outscored by the 49ers over the past few seasons. There were more factors that went into this decision, but the complete lack of competitiveness against their NFC West rival hung over the franchise. They have lost five straight games, including the playoffs, to the 49ers over the past two seasons, and none of them have been competitive.
New Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald had many of the same issues on Thursday night.
The game started off well for the Seahawks. They drove deep into 49ers territory. But then Geno Smith missed badly on a throw that was picked off by safety Malik Mustapha. This was the first sign of concern.
After this interception, the 49ers ran back at their own 3-yard line, but drove 90 yards. The 49ers settled for a field goal late in the series – red zone execution was perhaps the only thing San Francisco didn't get right in the first half on Thursday – but the action was all too familiar. As usual, the 49ers pushed the Seahawks forward.
The first half and the beginning of the second went exactly like this. Kittle's first touchdown gave the 49ers a 23-3 lead early in the third quarter. But the 49ers, who have already blown two fourth-quarter leads due to blowouts this season, had to make things interesting again.
The Seahawks are back in the game
The 49ers offense moved the ball with ease, except in the red zone. The defense played all over the field and hit everything blue very hard. It was San Francisco's special teams that allowed the Seahawks to get back into the game.
After the 49ers had a 23-3 lead that seemed insurmountable, Laviska Shenault Jr. started the game 97 yards for a touchdown in Seattle. It was the second return for a touchdown in the NFL this season. Kenneth Walker III then scored and the Seahawks led 23-17 by the end of the third quarter. 49ers running back Jordan Mason suffered a shoulder injury in the first half and only played in the first play of the second half, which affected the offense, which had missed Christian McCaffrey all season. San Francisco seemed to be in big trouble.
Smith then made an interception that virtually decided the outcome. DK Metcalf was badly tackled, Renardo Green fielded the ball and the 49ers were in good position to end the game.
Kittle scored again and the 49ers led 29-17. The Seahawks recovered a touchdown and led 29-24 with less than two minutes remaining. They started with all three timeouts remaining. However, Isaac Guerendo, who was filling in for Mason and McCaffrey, ran for 76 yards. Kyle Juszczyk scored with 1:17 left to put the game on the board.
The 49ers have had some concerns, and three early season losses don't stop their hopes of clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC. But Thursday night was further proof that the Seahawks and the NFC West still own it, even if there's still work to be done.
