The 49ers walked out of Seattle with a 32-29 road win in Week 5, and the headline moments belonged to wide receiver Mike Evans and cornerback Renardo Green. But the bigger story for San Francisco may have been buried in the trenches, where both lines delivered exactly when the team needed it most.
That matters because there were real reasons to worry about both groups. On defense, injuries to linemen such as Nick Bosa and Alfred Collins had raised questions about whether San Francisco was sliding toward another season of being one of the league’s weakest pass-rushing teams. On the other side, the offense had to answer for a run game that never quite found its footing a year ago.
Against the Seahawks, those fears got challenged.
The defensive front came up with five sacks, and defensive tackles Osa Odighizuwa and Gracen Halton each recorded one from the interior. Halton also forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, a swing play that helped tilt the game.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold was pressured enough to feel the heat all night, and the Seahawks were held to just 3.4 yards per rush. That’s the kind of number that says more than a box score ever could.
Raheem Morris deserves a ton of the credit there. With Bosa still working through a calf injury, the 49ers no longer look like a team begging for another star pass rusher to be added to the mix. Morris is getting far more out of the defensive front than Robert Saleh did a year ago, and new pieces like Halton and Odighizuwa have fit into that picture in a big way.
The offensive line gave San Francisco a different kind of win.
Brock Purdy was finally sacked three times after going untouched over the first four weeks, but that still doesn’t tell the full story. He had time to throw, especially late, when the game was hanging in the balance. More important, the line kept the run game alive in a way the 49ers did not consistently enjoy last season.
Christian McCaffrey ran for 68 yards and a touchdown on 6.2 yards per carry, and the group seemed to grow stronger as the game went on. That was the part that had to catch the Seahawks off guard: a depleted San Francisco offense leaning on its line and pushing forward when Seattle needed stops most.
For a unit that remains largely unchanged, it was a clear sign that the 49ers are getting more out of their offensive line than expected, and far more than they were getting in the biggest moments a year ago.
In Other News...
Brock Purdy Is Entering A 49ers Debate Fans Will Love
Brock Purdys steady start has the 49ers sitting in rare company, and it has also pulled his name into a familiar kind of national discussion. After another consistent stretch through the first five weeks of the season, Purdy has helped keep San Francisco undefeated, giving the offense the kind of stability that tends to change how outsiders talk about the quarterback at the center of it all.
Bill Simmons only added fuel to that conversation on a recent episode of The Ringer, offering high praise for Purdy and placing him in an unexpected lane when he talked about where the 49ers passer stacks up. With the Chiefs also unbeaten and Purdy continuing to look the part in his third season, the debate around how high his ceiling really goes is only going to get louder from here. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Receiver Injuries Just Forced A Decision They Wanted To Avoid
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49ers Rookie Suddenly Has A Big Chance To Change The Linebacker Plan
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For San Francisco, this is more than a short-term patch at WILL linebacker. It is a real chance to see whether Dugger can handle a heavier weekly burden and settle into the kind of role the defense has been searching for, especially with Greenlaw sidelined. If the rookie responds well, it could give the 49ers a new layer of flexibility at a position that may become one of the more interesting decisions on the roster down the road. [Read more 🡒]