49ers takeaways: Ouch. Purdy runs for his life as season ends in Seattle blowout
The rout got underway early at Lumen Field, and the San Francisco 49ers never seemed to have a chance.
Their impressive season — which extended into the second round of the playoffs despite a rash of injuries to star players — ended on Saturday night at the hand of the buzz-saw Seattle Seahawks, who scored a touchdown on the first play of the game and never looked back before winning 41-6.
And for the second time in three weeks, Kyle Shanahan’s offense was completely throttled by Mike Macdonald’s defense, with the 49ers managing just two second quarter field goals that made it an 11-point game. From there, the Seahawks scored 24 straight points, ending San Francisco’s season in a blowout.
The 49ers were without George Kittle, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk and first-round pick Mykel Williams. They had been able to overcome absences of key players throughout the season. But that stopped against the top-seeded Seahawks. They were out gained 281-236 but finished 0-for-3 on fourth down and lost the turnover battle 3-0.
Here are our takeaways from the game.
Worst start possible
The 49ers won the first toss and deferred to the second half, which has been Shanahan’s preference throughout his tenure.
But then their special teams let them down and the game got off to the worst start possible for San Francisco.
Lightning quick receiver Rashid Shaheed took the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, knifing through the left side of San Francisco’s coverage unit. It appeared Pro Bowl special teamer Luke Gifford and Siran Neal got out of their lanes and let Shaheed speed through the coverage all the way to the end zone. Kicker Eddie Piñeiro was flagged for trying to trip Rasheed, but it didn’t slow him down.
After a Seahawks field goal, things somehow got worse when tight end Jake Tonges fumbled on a pass that would have gone for a first down. It led to a Jaxon Smith-Njigba touchdown and a 17-0 deficit.
According to ESPN, it was the most first-quarter points surrendered by the 49ers in franchise playoff history, and the most points the Seahawks scored in the first quarter in their team history.
Purdy runs for his life
The Seahawks made things awfully difficult on quarterback Brock Purdy, who spent much of his night trying to avoid getting sacked by Seattle’s talented defensive front that was among the NFL’s best throughout the season.
According to the Fox broadcast, Purdy traveled a staggering 413 yards on his 33 drop backs. He led the 49ers with 37 rushing yards on five carries before he was taken out of the game and replaced by Mac Jones in the fourth quarter.
Purdy finished 15 of 27 for 140 yards with an interception and fumble lost. His 54.6 passer rating was his lowest of the season.
Shanahan pulling out trick plays, but they don’t work
The offense was in for a long night even before the 49ers allowed the opening kickoff touchdown. It was clear Shanahan knew the 49ers would have to reach deep into the playbook to take the Seahawks by surprise. It worked last week when Jauan Jennings tossed a memorable touchdown to Christian McCaffrey in the second half to help beat the Philadelphia Eagles.
But it didn’t work this week.
The 49ers offense opened its night by going for it on fourth-and-1 and was blown up trying to run a read option with Kyle Juszczyk pitching to Christian McCaffrey. There was little room near the right sideline and McCaffrey was nearly out of bounds by the time he got the pitch. The Seahawks simply blew the play up and there was no space for either Juszczyk or McCaffrey to operate.
Midway through the second quarter, Shanahan tried another unique design, calling a reverse flea-flicker to a screen to Brian Robinson. The play was designed to outflank the Seahawks, but they stayed home and the play got just 1 yard.
Defense gets demolished by the running game
The Seahawks ran for 180 yards on the 49ers in the regular season finale. That trend continued Saturday night.
Kenneth Walker had 3 touchdowns, starting with a backbreaking 7-yard score with 36 seconds remaining in the first half. The 49ers made it an 11-point game and could have gone into the locker room with a hint of momentum had they been able to keep the score at 17-6 knowing they were receiving the second half kickoff.
But Walker’s touchdown made it an 18-point game, putting the game out of reach early. Walker finished with 116 yards on 19 carries, good for a 6.1-yard average. His 6-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter was his final run of the night.
The success in the running game took the pressure off Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who entered the game dealing with an oblique injury. He only attempted 17 passes, completing 12 for 124 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. He had a 110.9 passer rating. Smith-Njigba, who averaged an NFL best 105.5 yards per game, only had 19 on three catches.
McCaffrey leaves game
Christian McCaffrey went to the sideline late in the second quarter with an apparent injury and was not on the field during the opening possession of the fourth quarter. Trainers worked on his left shoulder, where he had a stinger, as he paced along the sideline with his helmet on.
“The 49ers team bus is like an ambulance at this point,” Fox analyst Tom Brady said in the third quarter after reports that McCaffrey and Tonges were both injured and questionable to return.
Without McCaffrey, the 49ers turned it over on downs when Purdy was sacked by Leonard Williams on a fourth-and-2. It came after backup running back Brian Robinson Jr. was stopped for a 1-yard gain on third-and-3.
McCaffrey returned on the following possession — which lasted only two plays because Purdy was intercepted by linebacker Ernest Jones IV on a short pass over the middle to reserve tight end Luke Farrell. He finished with 35 yards on 11 carries, plus 39 receiving yards on five catches.
Shanahan rips into defender
Before the Seahawks’ second touchdown in the first quarter, the broadcast caught Shanahan ripping into cornerback Renardo Green, who was off the field after Cooper Kupp got behind him in coverage to convert a second-and-20 along the left sideline. With Green out, his backup Darrell Luter Jr. then got beat in man coverage by Smith-Njigba in the back left corner of the end zone.
Green, a second-round draft pick in 2024, became a full-time starter in 2025 after making seven starts during his rookie season. He’s shown signs of promise, but also a knack for being overly aggressive with his hands. He’s been called for nine penalties in his two seasons.
Green came back on the field on the following possession, in which the 49ers forced Seattle’s first punt of the game with a three-and-out.
This story was originally published January 17, 2026 at 8:33 PM.
