49ers Hold Off Seahawks on Thursday Night Football as Receiver Makes History
The San Francisco 49ers entered Thursday Night Football against their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, in need of a bounce-back win after a shocking home loss to the Arizona Cardinals in their previous game.
Though there were a few tense moments, the 49ers managed to steady the ship with a 36-24 victory at Lumen Field.
After squandering a 13-point lead to the Cardinals in Week 5, the 49ers seemed determined to avoid a repeat, racing to a 16-3 halftime lead before extending it to 23-3.
However, Seattle quickly responded with a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown from Laviska Shenault and a one-yard touchdown run from Kenneth Walker, cutting the lead to just six points heading into the fourth quarter.
This time, though, San Francisco held firm. A nine-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to George Kittle, followed by a six-yard scoring run from Kyle Juszczyk, helped the 49ers fend off Seattle's comeback efforts.
Following tough losses to the Cardinals and Rams in recent weeks, head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted he had felt "sick" about those defeats. But after Thursday's win, he praised his team's resilience.
"We’ve been talking about how those two losses reminded us how tough the NFL is," Shanahan said. "I think we got a little spoiled, maybe too relaxed. But you can never relax. I thought we played well in the second half, but it's never easy to win. Seattle made some plays, but I’m proud of our guys for fighting through it. You can't coast in the fourth quarter, and we learned that tonight."
Brock Purdy turned in a solid performance, completing 18 of 28 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns. The 49ers' running game took a hit when Jordan Mason, filling in for Christian McCaffrey, left with a shoulder injury after rushing nine times for 73 yards. However, rookie Isaac Guerendo stepped up, rushing 10 times for 99 yards.
San Francisco's defense, missing key players, also impressed, holding Seattle to just 52 rushing yards and intercepting Geno Smith twice, including on the Seahawks' opening drive.
The night also saw a historic moment for wide receiver Deebo Samuel. He scored on a 76-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, becoming the first wide receiver in NFL history to reach both 20 receiving touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns.
Reflecting on the victory that improved the 49ers to 3-3, Samuel emphasized its importance.
"It was definitely a must-win," said Samuel, who finished with 102 receiving yards on three catches and added 15 rushing yards. "We treated it like one to get back on track."