Seahawks defense finally breaks, Darnold fumbles late in loss

This is how these new Seahawks have been rebuilt to play.

Not always beautifully.

That leaves a thin margin to win.

A Seattle defense on the field for most of Sunday bent, bent and finally broke in the final 2 minutes. That’s when San Francisco got Brock Purdy’s go-ahead touchdown pass on third down for its first lead since the first half.

Then new Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had his chance for a heroic debut.

Darnold and the offense took over with 94 seconds and one time out left, from the Seahawks 35. He completed his first pass, for 11 yards to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The second throw got tipped incomplete. The Seahawks’ new offensive line picked up a linebacker blitz, and Darnold coolly threw a perfect ball to Smith-Njigba in stride past 49ers cornerback Renardo Green down the left sideline. The catch and run gained 40 yards.

Seattle had the ball at the San Francisco 14, then the 9, with 62 seconds left.

“We had ‘em,” said Smith-Njigba, who had nine catches for 124 yards in his first game after his team record-tying 100-catch season of 2024.

But then 49ers pass rusher extraordinaire Nick Bosa pushed right tackle Abe Lucas into Darnold’s passing arm, as the quarterback was raising it to throw. The ball went off Lucas’ back and onto the ground. Bosa recovered the fumble for San Francisco at the 16.

“I was feeling Bosa all day,” Lucas said. “It’s who he is. He’s a helluva player.”

Lucas said he didn’t feel Darnold lose the ball into his back. If he had the right tackle said he would have reacted to the fumble to recover it.

That’s how the Seahawks’ seventh loss in eight meetings with the division rivals ended: San Francisco 17, Seattle 13, at hushed Lumen Field.

“It came out off somebody…I think it was off one of our offensive linemen’s back,” Darnold. “It didn’t slip out, or anything.

“I was just going to check it down (with a short pass to set up third down).

“Just not enough today,” Darnold said. “We were not as efficient as we wanted to be on first and second downs.”

That created many third and longs, four drives or three plays and punt, and a disparity in time of possession: 38 minutes for San Francisco, 22 for Seattle. The Seahawks converted just three of 10 third downs into first downs. San Francisco was 7 for 14 on third downs.

“Not our best day today.”

Seattle had the lead and momentum for the first time in hours, 13-10 with 3 1/2 minutes left. Josh Jobe, the extra cornerback playing more than he would have because of rookie safety Nick Emmanwori’s ankle injury early in the game, made his third big play of the second half. Jobe’s sure tackle in the open field cut down running back Christian McCaffrey on the first play following Jason Myers’ go-ahead field goal for Seattle.

On second and 9, Purdy threw deep down the left sideline for Ricky Pearsall in one-on-one coverage against Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen. Woolen, who earlier in the fourth quarter had made a play to deny San Francisco the go-ahead touchdown, stopped running as Purdy’s pass arrived.

Pearsall kept running. He zoomed past the stopped Woolen for a 45-yard catch to the Seahawks 22.

That forced Seattle to begin using its time-outs on defense to preserve a chance to answer San Francisco’s imminent score.

“I’ve just got to track the ball better,” Woolen said.

On third and 3 from the 4, Purdy ran away from pressure to the right and chucked a pass high into traffic in the end zone. Third-string tight end Jake Tonges ran back in front of and leaped over Woolen for a brilliant catch and touchdown. “It seemed like he was throwing the ball away,” Woolen said. “I just went for it, and the tight end got it.”

The Seahawks suddenly trailed for the first time since early in the second quarter, 17-13.

Josh Jobe’s leaping interception of Purdy’s deep pass intended for Pearsall with 7 minutes left and the score tied at 10 was the extra cornerback’s second big play of the second half. It gave Seattle’s sputtering offense the ball at midfield.

Kenneth Walker, five carries for 4 yards to that point, ran for 8 off left tackle to begin the possession. That run set up effective play action by Darnold (16 for 23, 150 yards passing), for a bootleg run outside to the first down at the San Francisco 40.

From there, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak went power. Behind two tight ends right, Walker ran for 5 yards into range for a go-ahead field goal with 5 minutes left. Zach Charbonnet ran with two tight ends for 7 more yards. Walker carried San Francisco linebacker Dee Winters for a 4-yard gain.

On third and 7 from the San Francisco 25, Kubiak sent rookie wide receiver Tory Horton on a deep route and Cooper Kupp short outside of him. But the pass only gained six of the seven yards Seattle needed.

On fourth and 1, holder/punter Michael Dickson brought down a high snap and Jason Myers kicked a 37-yard field goal. Seattle had the lead 13-10 with 3 1/2 minutes to go.

“Very disappointed about the outcome, but got to look at the process, as well,” Macdonald said. “I think our guys played incredibly hard. Played all 60 minutes. Gave ourselves a chance to win at the end.

“I think we have a really good football team, and we’re not there yet. So let’s go work, figure out things we can do better, and move forward. Which we will. We’re a good team now. We’re only going to get better. So the guys will respond. And let’s go have a great week and go to Pittsburgh.”

Riq Woolen’s 4-point play

A great play on third and 2 by defensive Leonard Williams, shedding his blocker and moving right into McCaffrey for no gain, set up fourth and 2 at the Seahawks 14 with 11 1/2 minutes left.

Coach Kyle Shanahan had the Niners go for it, because he’d seen kicker Jake Moody miss a field goal and have another blocked in the second half. Purdy completed a pass in the left flat for McCaffrey for a first down versus cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

But then Woolen made a four-point play. He raced from the middle of the end zone to the side to knock away Purdy’s pass to Pearsall that would have been the go-ahead touchdown.

Instead, the 49ers settled for Moody making a field goal this time. That tied the game at 10 with 9:42 to go.

Jobe, Love keep Seahawks in front

Jobe and Julian Love kept the Seahawks in the lead late in the third quarter, when Seattle’s defense was wobbling and its offense was going nowhere.

With the Seahawks leading 10-7, Purdy got penalized for intentional grounding while getting sacked by Derick Hall on a second and 9 in Seattle territory. But that penalty got negated by a foul on Woolen for illegal contact on a Niners receiver. Instead of third down and long, the Niners got to a third and 2 after a short pass.

On third down, Jobe had strong coverage, denying Juaun Jennings the ball one-on-one on a fade route down the sideline. Moody came out to try a 36-yard field goal for the tie. Love knifed in from the outside and blocked the kick.

The Seahawks still led into the fourth quarter.

But then Smith-Njigba lost a fumble on a screen pass during the first play of the final period.

The 49ers’ tying field goal came off that turnover.

The Niners’ pounding offense produced drives of 14, 12, 14 and 11 plays. That’s why the Seahawks had the ball for just 15 of the game’s first 50 minutes.

San Francisco had 311 yards to Seattle’s 149 midway through the final quarter.

Yet the score remained tied at 10 late.

Nick Emmanwori’s injury changes the plan

Rookie second-round draft choice Nick Emmawori was a big part of coach Mike Macdonald’s game plan for the Seahawks defense, as he will be throughout the season. On the first drive, Macdonald had Emmanwori playing as he did in training-camp practices: as a slot, coverage safety in nickel, as an inside, off-ball linebacker next to middle backer Ernest Jones, as an outside linebacker charging across the line off the edge.

It was in that last role Emmanwori got hurt. Unblocked, the 220-pound rookie tackled McCaffrey for a 2-yard gain. As he did, Seahawks teammate DeMarcus Lawrence landed on Emmanwori’s ankle. The rookie left the game, and soon limped into the locker room.

Emmanwori returned later in the first half. He ran out on the kickoff team after Seattle tied the game on Charbonnet’s touchdown run. Then he came to the sideline, talked to coaches and the team doctor, and stayed out of the game.

Macdonald said the Seahawks don’t believe Emmanwori has a high-ankle sprain, which is ligament damage and a longer recovery time. “That’s positive. Everything is intact, we think,” the coach said.

With Emmanwori out, Macdonald stayed basic with Seattle’s defense most of the rest of the day. He stayed in base defense more. On most third downs, the coach went to a conventional nickel set with Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon in the slot, and Jobe in as the extra, fifth cornerback outside.

“We played the game lighter than we normally play against them,” Macdonald said, meaning no bigger safety as the fifth defensive back to combat McCaffrey’s bullish running.

Compared to the usual tricks and personnel switches the head coach does, it was almost old-school.

And it worked. The Seahawks got a three-and-out stop, and another stop after one first down, thanks to a 12-yard sack by safety Julian Love, in the two drives immediately after Seattle’s offense had tied the game.

On the third drive after Emmanwori’s injury, Macdonald began in the same base scheme. Then on third and long, he brought in reserve safety Ty Okada, for the first time since the opening drive on which San Francisco marched 95 yards to a touchdown. Macdonald blitzed Witherspoon off the left edge, and had Okada covering Witherspoon’s left sideline behind the blitz. The 49ers blocked Witherspoon. Shanahan had Purdy target Okada. Jauan Jennings easily caught Purdy’s pass and ran through Okada for the first down.

It was the second time in the first half that Shanahan exploited Okada playing with Emmanwori in an extra-safety defense for a 49ers first down.

Purdy then threw for 25 yards to fullback Kyle Juszczyk. The Seahawks got a stop. Moody attempted a 27-yard field goal, a chip shot, for the lead. He clanged it off the upright, no good.

With a minute left in the half, Seattle answered with Darnold’s 22-yard pass over the middle to wide-open Jaxon Smith-Njigba, to midfield. Kupp’s first catch as a Seahawk moved the ball to the San Francisco 39. Kupp looked out of synch with Darnold much of the day.

From there, Darnold’s QB sprint-out run right for 9 yards led to Jason Myers’ 48-yard field goal.

Seattle took a hard-earned, 10-7 lead into the second half.

Calls even out early

The 49ers scored the game’s first touchdown on a 14-play, 8-minute drive on their first possession. The march appeared over when Purdy threw incomplete on third down. But the quarterback then theatrically reacted to Seattle Pro Bowl defensive end Leonard Williams hitting him in the helmet with an open hand after the throw. Purdy fell to the ground. Referee Shawn Hochuli flagged Williams for roughing the passer and first down for San Francisco.

“He originally told me that I hit him in the head, and then I rewatched the play. I didn’t,” Williams said. “I went back to the refs and they told me that they thought that I could have avoided hitting him. But then, the white hat (Hochuli) told me that it looked like it was hard to avoid him, so I don’t know.

“I feel like they threw the flag, and they couldn’t overturn it.”

Macdonald said after the game the Seahawks just have to coach Williams better to avoid such a penalty.

Later in the drive on third and goal, Shanahan targeted Okada again in Emmanwori’s absence. All-Pro tight end George Kittle ran a simple out route from the 5 to the goal line on the reserve safety. Shanahan’s scheme mismatch became a 5-yard touchdown and 7-0 lead for the 49ers early.

The Seahawks tied the game after the side judge in the corner of the end zone ruled 49ers rookie cornerback Upton Stout committed pass interference, grabbing Kupp in the back left of the end zone. That was even though Darnold’s pass was uncatchable, 5 yards past Kupp out the back of the end zone. By rule there isn’t pass interference on passes deemed uncatchable.

With the reprieve of a first down from the 1-yard line, Charbonnet ran it in from there to tie the game at 7.

Jalen Milroe’s debut

It took just three plays into the season for Kubiak to make good on his promise rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe will “have his opportunity” in 2025.

Milroe entered for Darnold to run on second and 6 on the opening possession of the season. It was a tough assignment: QB lead into the line from the middle of the field. The 49ers stacked him up after a gain of only 1 yard. That was Milroe’s only snap Sunday.

At least it will force the Steelers to devote time to preparing for the rookie quarterback for week two.