SEATTLE – Brock Purdy bought time in the pocket, rolled right, and threw up a Hail Mary-esque pass, even if it was only a 4-yard desperation lob.
Jake Tonges, subbing for the injured George Kittle, somehow used all 6-foot-4 of his frame to pull down his first-ever touchdown.
The 49ers had a four-point lead with 1 1/2 minutes remaining in their chaotic season opener. More chaos was coming. So was Nick Bosa.
Bosa recovered a Sam Darnold fumble with 36 seconds remaining inside the 49ers’ red zone to preserve a 17-13 season-opening win. Bosa had pushed Seahawks right tackle Abraham Lucas into Darnold in the pocket, the ball came loose, Bosa pounced on it, and a few minutes later, Purdy skipped off into the visitors’ tunnel with his first win as a $265 million quarterback.
Thus, the 49ers were not doomed by Jake Moody’s disastrous field-goal attempts, Purdy’s two interceptions after halftime, or injuries that took out Kittle and others.
MOODY MAKES IT
The third time was Moody’s charm. He tied the score at 10 by converting a 32-yard attempt with 9:42 remaining.
Earlier, Moody added to his struggles from last season and last month’s preseason. A 27-yard attempt from the left hashmark careened into the left upright. In turn, it was the Seahawks who got a go-ahead field goal just before halftime, with Jason Myers converting from 48 yards for a 10-7 lead.
Moody’s second field goal attempt, from 36 yards, got blocked when Julian Love quickly jumped past Matt Hennessy and smothered Moody’s attempt on its ascent. Shanahan was irate. Minutes earlier, he didn’t even entertain a 48-yard field-goal attempt, and, instead, Luke Farrell came through with a fourth-and-2 conversion catch at the 26-yard line.
McCAFFREY VERY ACTIVE
Questionable with a calf issue, McCaffrey was not eased into duty. He was the 49ers’ most reliable offensive threat, though he was relieved on occasion by Brian Robinson Jr.
Moody had 22 carries for 69 yards and nine receptions for 73 yards. Robinson had nine carries for 33 yards.
McCaffrey entered the fourth quarter with more yards receiving (60, catching 6-of-6 targets) than rushing (55, on 16 carries, none longer than nine yards).
GRAND OPENING
Purdy engineered a 95-yard, 14-play touchdown drive on the 49ers’ first possession, capped off by a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kittle near the front-right pylon. Keeping that series afloat were three third-down conversions: receptions by Kittle (eight yards) and Pearsall (26 yards), but also a roughing-the-passer penalty on Leonard Williams on a Purdy incompletion.
The Seahawks answered the 49ers’ first touchdown drive with their own first of the season, and they also capitalized on a defensive penalty. After Upton Stout drew a pass-interference penalty on an apparent fourth-and-3 overthrow toward Cooper Kupp in the end zone, Zach Charbonnet scored on a 1-yard run for a 7-7 tie early in the second quarter.
HEALTH WATCH
All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner got kicked in the face on that Seahawks’ scoring drive, apparently by Charbonnet on a run to the outside. Warner returned that series with cotton stuffed up his left nostril, and he opened the next drive with a tackle for loss.
Left tackle Trent Williams hurt his problematic right ankle on the same series (the 49ers’ third) in which Kittle left. Williams did not miss any snaps, however.
Jauan Jennings, whose first catch of the season was fittingly a third-down conversion, jogged off with a left-shoulder injury early in the fourth quarter. Jennings exited after a Purdy overthrow to Pearsall, following Marques Sigle’s recovery of a fumble forced by Sam Okuayinonu
Kittle initially drew inspection from the 49ers’ medical staff on the bench following his touchdown catch. Five offensive snaps later, Kittle slowly walked to the sideline after downfield while Purdy got sacked (after McCaffrey failed to fully block a blitzing safety).
NOTES
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— The 49ers went three-and-out on their second series, ending with Jarran Reed driving Purdy’s left shoulder into the artificial turf on an incompletion toward McCaffrey, who ceded the first run of that drive to Robinson.
— The 49ers defense started two rookies in defensive end Mykel Williams and safety Marques Sigle, and the Seahawks were forced to punt their opening possession, with a third-down blitz resulting in Nick Bosa’s hit on Sam Darnold, who managed to complete a pass but for no gain before the punt.
— The fourth quarter opened in fine fashion. Sam Okuayinonu forced a fumble in 49ers territory and it was recovered by rookie Marques Sigle, who started at safety in his NFL debut.