49ers takeaways: A dud against the Seahawks costs San Francisco the No. 1 seed
The 49ers chances at the top seed in the NFC playoffs are dead.
San Francisco dropped its regular season finale Saturday night to the Seattle Seahawks, 13-3, largely because of the offense’s inability to score against Seattle’s top-flight defense, despite averaging 42 points per game over the previous three weeks.
The Seahawks (14-3) kept the 49ers (12-5) in check while they were missing star left tackle Trent Williams and top receiver Ricky Pearsall. Defensively, San Francisco allowed the Seahawks to move the ball, but limited their scoring opportunities.
Ultimately, Kyle Shanahan’s team couldn’t overcome all their missing players — Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, Williams, Pearsall — to earn home field advantage and perhaps more importantly, the lone bye in the Wild Card round of the playoffs next week.
The 49ers finished the season with a very respectable 12-5 record and will be the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the playoffs depending on Sunday’s outcome between the Los Angeles Rams game against the Arizona Cardinals. A Rams win means the 49ers drop to No. 6 in the NFC.
Here are our takeaways from Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium.
Missed opportunities ruin the evening
The 49ers, down just 10-3 late in the third quarter, had a chance to recover a fumble and get in range to tie the game despite the offense struggling throughout. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold tripped as he was trying to hand the ball off to Zach Charbonnet, and the ball was there for defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos to fall on it.
But Gross-Matos couldn’t corral it, and Charbonnet recovered it. Worse yet, San Francisco allowed a third-and-17 conversion two plays later before the Seahawks made it a two-score game with a field goal, which loomed large in the low-scoring game.
On the following drive, the 49ers were knocking on the door with their first red zone trip early in the fourth quarter. They were down to Seattle’s 6-yard line when Christian McCaffrey couldn’t handle a pass that was slightly behind him in the right flat. The pass appeared to be slightly tipped by Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe.
It was intercepted by Drake Thomas, ending the 49ers’ chance at making it a one-score game late.
Brock Purdy cooled down
The Seahawks came with the No. 2 ranked scoring defense in the NFL and Saturday was a sterling example why.
Seattle stopped the run and consistently collapsed the pocket on the 49ers’ red-hot quarterback, who came in with 11 touchdown passes to just 2 interceptions over his last three games. Purdy looked like he was finding a rhythm on the drive before McCaffrey’s dropped-pass-turned-interception, completing three passes for 46 yards on the series.
Purdy managed just 123 yards on 18-of-23 passing before San Francisco’s final possession down two scores. He finished 19 of 27 for 127 yards and a 64.9 passer rating, his second lowest of the season behind his three-interception game against the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 24.
His night was capped when he was crunched by two Seahawks defenders on his final snap, a fourth-down incompletion that ultimately ended the game.
Christian McCaffrey slowed
McCaffrey’s most notable play was his dropped pass leading to the interception near the goal line. Otherwise, his night was marked by an inability to get anything going.
McCaffrey finished with just 23 yards on eight attempts rushing, plus six catches for 34 yards receiving.
He finished well short of completing his second 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yard season. He needed 110 through the air, but finished needing 76 more yards.
His longest run was just 5 yards. And his dynamism in the passing game was limited to being a check-down option for Purdy, which was a big win for Seattle’s defense.
Kittle’s return a dud
George Kittle came into the game with eight career touchdowns against Seattle, his most against any opponent outside of the Arizona Cardinals (9).
But like McCaffrey, Kittle was largely kept in check, finishing with 29 yards on five catches after missing last week’s win over the Bears with an ankle injury. Without Pearsall and Williams, and McCaffrey kept in check, the 49ers needed a big game from their star tight end.
Defense hangs tough, but ultimately not enough
The defense was fortunate to avoid giving up points on Seattle’s opening possession despite the Seahawks getting a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line following a pass interference in the end zone on Deommodore Lenoir. But Seattle made quick work of their next possession, scoring on just three plays with Zach Charbonnet’s 27-yard touchdown coming on third-and-2.
The Seahawks had 88 yards rushing in the first quarter. But they only scored once on their first three possessions, which included a missed field goal into the wind toward the south end zone. The 49ers were fortunate the game was as close as it was in the early going.
The defense was decent at limiting scoring opportunities but still allowed 361 yards to the Seahawks. The way Seattle’s defense suffocated San Francisco’s offense, Robert Saleh’s crew needed to be perfect.
More bad news on the injury front
It wasn’t a surprise All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams was ruled out 90 minutes before the game after suffering a hamstring injury early in the win over Chicago. But second-year receiver Pearsall missing the game was a surprise.
Pearsall was a limited participant in practice throughout the week with knee and ankle issues that seemed to flare up against the Bears. He remained in the game and had five catches for 85 yards.
The 49ers, who were already without stars Warner and Bosa, lost another key player on defense when linebacker Dee Winters exited with an ankle injury in the second quarter Saturday. It led to playing time for Garret Wallow, whom the 49ers claimed off waivers from the Denver Broncos on Dec. 8. Wallow was a former fifth-round draft pick of the Houston Texans in 2021 who’s appeared in 45 games and made 5 starts.
Fellow linebacker Tatum Bethune also dealt with a groin injury throughout the game leading the 49ers to rely on Eric Kendricks and and Garrett Wallow for stretches.
This story was originally published January 3, 2026 at 8:13 PM with the headline "49ers takeaways: A dud against the Seahawks costs San Francisco the No. 1 seed."
