Across the Bay — Seahawks 13, 49ers 3: Seattle owns the clock, chokes the margins at Levi’s Stadium
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The 49ers wore all black at Levi’s Stadium for the first time. By the end of Saturday night, the game felt just as dark
Seattle beat San Francisco 13–3, a low-scoring final that didn’t quite capture how thoroughly the Seahawks controlled the terms: pace, field position, and — most decisively — the clock.
Seattle finished with 37:48 of possession to the 49ers’ 22:12, ran 67 plays to San Francisco’s 42, and outgained the Niners 361–173. The Seahawks rushed 39 times for 180 yards and a touchdown while the 49ers rushed 12 times for 53. It was January-style football in early January: fewer possessions, thinner margins, and one mistake that erased the only real comeback window.
That moment came early in the fourth quarter.
With Seattle up 13–3, Brock Purdy had the 49ers moving with urgency: a 20-yard completion to George Kittle, a quarterback sneak that produced the 49ers’ first rushing first down, and quick completions that pushed the ball to first-and-goal at the 9.
Then the drive vanished. Purdy threw to Christian McCaffrey in the flat, the ball was tipped, and McCaffrey bobbled it into an interception for Seattle’s Greg Thomas.
“It’s a play that I have to make… it’s completely on me,” McCaffrey said afterward. “Expect nothing less.”
A game that mattered like the postseason
Both teams entered on six-game win streaks, with real seeding stakes attached. The 49ers were also short-handed. Kyle Shanahan said Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall “were pushing it” but were held out because it “would have been too risky to play him.”
Seattle played like a team chasing the top line of the bracket: disciplined defense, a run game that could dictate possessions, and an offense that didn’t need a passing touchdown to control the night.
“They control the clock for 40 minutes,” Shanahan said. “When we had to get something going, we didn’t stay on the field on third.”
San Francisco went 2-of-9 on third down, produced 173 total yards, and scored once — Eddy Piñeiro’s 48-yard field goal— on a night where the 49ers failed to achieve a consistent rhythm.
How Seattle built it: run game, tempo, and field position
Seattle’s formula showed up early. On the opening series, the Seahawks marched to first-and-goal before the 49ers stiffened. Tatum Bethune sacked Sam Darnold, and San Francisco forced a turnover on downs after Seattle came up empty on fourth down.
It was a big stop and a preview of the rest of the night: the 49ers’ defense would fight, but it would be asked to fight constantly.
Seattle’s next opportunity came with a short field at the 49ers’ 35, and this time the Seahawks cashed it in. Zach Charbonnet scored from 27 yards on third-and-2, a run that captured the game’s tone: clean lanes, downhill momentum, and San Francisco reacting a half-beat late.
The 49ers never countered with their own volume. McCaffrey finished with 8 carries for 23 yards. The entire run game totaled 12 attempts, and the offense never lived in the comfortable down-and-distance that makes Shanahan’s system sing.
San Francisco’s offense: too few snaps, no explosives, one fatal tip
Purdy’s line — 19-of-27 for 127 yards and an interception — reads quiet because of the quiet nature of the game. The real issue was opportunity. Seattle extended drives, shortened the game, and kept the 49ers’ offense on the sideline.
The 49ers’ only points came before halftime. After their first productive drive, Shanahan took the sure route and sent Piñeiro to drill it from 48, bringing the game within reach at 10–3.
Seattle answered the way it had all night: more possession, more patience, and points that made San Francisco chase. Jason Myers added field goals (he finished 2-for-4) to push the lead to 13–3, and the Seahawks never gave the 49ers a second red-zone chance.
On the tipped-ball interception, Purdy owned his piece too.
“I’m hard on myself… don’t get the ball tipped at the line of scrimmage,” he said. He also backed his running back: “Christian’s a baller… he’s a Hall of Fame running back.”
McCaffrey didn’t deflect it. “Completely on me,” he said.
Seattle’s backbone: the ground game never let go
Darnold was efficient (20-of-26 for 198 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions), but the Seahawks won because their run game kept the game on schedule and the 49ers’ defense on the field.
Kenneth Walker III ran 16 times for 97 yards. Charbonnet added 17 for 74 and the only touchdown. Seattle finished at 180 rushing yards — the kind of number that turns a close score into a controlled game.
Shanahan’s summary: missed leverage plays, and not enough time with the ball
Shanahan credited his defense for keeping the 49ers alive on the scoreboard while highlighting how quickly a game like this punishes you when you don’t take your few chances.
“I was proud that they kept battling… able to hold them to 13 points. That’s what gave us a chance there at the end,” he said.
But the missed swing moments piled up.
“We knew it would be a challenge,” Shanahan said of Seattle’s defense. “They got us in a number of moments. Had a couple opportunities I thought that we missed. You can’t miss those versus a team like that.”
He pointed to the same sequence that defined the fourth quarter: missed leverage plays, then the red-zone turnover that ended the comeback before it began.
Pulse takeaway
This wasn’t one of those games you lose because you couldn’t score touchdowns.
It was a game you lose because you didn’t get enough plays.
Seattle turned the night into a possession game — then won the possession game. San Francisco couldn’t run it, couldn’t stay on schedule on third down, and couldn’t survive the one turnover that came inside the goal-to-go window.
The final was 13–3. The story was control.
Seattle’s win secures the NFC’s top seed, while the 49ers now turn toward a road playoff path after missing their chance to clinch home-field advantage.
Notes (box score + postgame)
Seattle outgained San Francisco 361–173 and ran 67 plays to the 49ers’ 42. Dominance.
Time of possession: Seahawks 37:48, 49ers 22:12.
Third down: 49ers 2-of-9.
Rush attempts: Seahawks 39 (180 yards, TD); 49ers 12 (53 yards).
Purdy: 19/27, 127 yards, INT. Darnold: 20/26, 198 yards, no TD/INT.
Kickers: Myers 2-for-4 FG; Pineiro 1-for-1 FG (48).
Shanahan injury updates: Dee Winters (ankle, didn’t return), Tatum Bethune (groin, didn’t return), Purdy (stinger late, would have returned), Luke Gifford (quad, returned).
Shanahan on the margin plays: missed fumble recovery chance, third-and-17 run, and the red-zone turnover “could make it different.”