Brock Purdy kept San Francisco alive when the game was slipping away, and the 49ers walked out of Seattle with a 32-29 win Sunday thanks to Eddy Pineiro’s 43-yard field goal with 1:56 left.
The comeback came on the back of two fourth-quarter scoring drives from Purdy, who steadied the 49ers after a wild game packed with seven combined turnovers, an ejection and plenty of field-position chaos. San Francisco improved to 5-0 and, for the third time in the last eight seasons, opened with five straight wins. Seattle dropped to 3-2.
This one also served up a little payoff for San Francisco after last season’s late defeats to the Seahawks, including a 41-6 loss in the divisional round of the playoffs with a short-handed roster. The 49ers were healthier this time, and Purdy made sure the finish looked nothing like those rough endings.
Trailing 26-21 late in the third quarter, Purdy put together the kind of drive that can flip a game. He worked through an intentional grounding penalty that left San Francisco facing second-and-21, then hit Mike Evans for 28 yards against Seattle’s defense. That sequence set up Purdy’s 7-yard touchdown pass to newcomer Brandin Cooks, and the 49ers added a 2-point conversion to Evans to go up 29-26.
Sam Darnold answered with a field-goal drive to tie it, but Purdy and the 49ers were not done. They moved the ball 43 yards to set up Pineiro’s winner, and Seattle’s final push fizzled at the end. Jaxon Smith-Njigba dropped a third-down pass at the San Francisco 25, then Cooper Kupp was stopped 1 yard short of the line to gain by Malik Mustapha on fourth down.
Purdy finished 19 of 29 for 189 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
San Francisco had done plenty of damage before the late rally, though much of it came from the defense. The 49ers were shut out of the end zone in their final two games against Seattle last season, but this time they scored three touchdowns in the first half and took a 21-13 lead.
Renardo Green’s first interception of the day set up an 18-yard drive that ended with Purdy’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Evans. Later, Mustapha recovered a fumble at the Seattle 11, and Christian McCaffrey scored on the next play.
The third touchdown came in unusual fashion. With 18 seconds left in the half, Seattle tried to run from its own 4, but the gamble went sideways when Gracen Halton stripped George Halani and recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
Seattle chipped away after halftime. Darnold threw an interception on the opening drive of the third quarter, leading to a missed Pineiro field goal, but the Seahawks soon got back on track. Jason Myers hit a 43-yard field goal after Pineiro’s miss, then Nehemiah Pritchett intercepted Purdy and Seattle turned that into a 23-yard drive capped by Darnold’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Smith-Njigba for a 23-21 lead.
Deebo Samuel then lost a fumble on the next possession, and Myers added another field goal to push Seattle ahead 26-21. Samuel injured his hamstring on the play and did not return.
The Seahawks had one last shot after San Francisco retook the lead, but the 49ers’ defense closed the door and Purdy’s late work held up. San Francisco left with the win, and Seattle was left with the turnover-filled missed chance.
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