49ers Brock Purdy with a clutch touchdown beat Seahawks in season opener
QB Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks during the game at Lumen Field on September 07, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) Steph Chambers/Getty Images
09.07.25 – 49ers third-string tight end Jake Tonges caught a pass from Brock Purdy for a touchdown with 1:34 remaining, and San Francisco rallied for a 17-13 season-opening win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
When Purdy commanded the huddle ahead of the San Francisco 49ers’ final drive, he provided a clear message to tight end Tonges and the rest of the offense.
“He’s confident, he’s poised, he’s like, ‘Let’s go win this thing,’” Tonges said. “We didn’t want to kick a field goal. We didn’t want to go to overtime. We wanted to win it right there.”
Tonges entered the game having never caught an NFL pass. He finished with three receptions in relief of injured All-Pro tight end George Kittle and came down with a 50-50 ball from a scrambling Purdy for a 4-yard TD. Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen got a hand on the ball, but it bounced off him and Tonges grabbed it.
“I saw him throw it up,” Tonges said. “I wasn’t sure if he was throwing it away or whatever, but I just tried to cut underneath the corner right there and high-point it and come down in bounds.”
The little-used Tonges was pressed into service because of the Niners’ depleted receiving corps. Top wideout Brandon Aiyuk is out with a knee injury, and receiver Jauan Jennings (shoulder) and Kittle (hamstring) exited Sunday’s game early.
2025.09.07 (49ers vs. Seahawks) Game Highlights
San Francisco 49ers tight end Jake Tonges (#88) makes a touchdown catch during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press
2025.09.07 (49ers vs. Seahawks) Game Highlights
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (NBC Sports Post Game)
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (NBC Sports Post Game)
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (NBC Sports Post Game)
George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers scores a touchdown against Ty Okada #39 of the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter during the game at Lumen Field on September 07, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) Steph Chambers/Getty Images
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (NBC Sports Post Game) Tonges
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (NBC Sports Post Game) Tonges
After Tonges’ TD, Jake Moody converted the extra point to put the Niners up by four, a critical conversion given that he missed two field goals earlier.
“Ending with a win is what we’re always aiming for,” Bosa said, “and the fact that I was able to help, always great.”
Purdy went 26 of 35 for 277 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, improving to 4-0 as a starter at Lumen Field. Kittle caught a 7-yard TD pass from Purdy in the first quarter before getting hurt in the second.
Darnold went 16 of 23 for 150 yards as the Seahawks mustered 234 yards of total offense.
“For us, it was not enough today,” Darnold said. “I felt like we weren’t as efficient as we wanted to be on first and second down — and third down we have to be way better as well.”
Zach Charbonnet’s 1-yard rush early in the second quarter tied the game at 7-all, and the Seahawks took the lead on Jason Myers’ 48-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the first half. Myers connected again from 37 yards to put Seattle ahead 13-10 with 3:24 left in the game.
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (Chat Sports Post Game)
San Francisco 49ers Nick Bosa (#97) center, and team mates celebrate after a sack during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (Chat Sports Post Game)
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (Chat Sports Post Game)
Then Purdy and his supporting cast went to work.
“I’m just so happy with our team,” Coach Kyle Shanahan said. “There was a lot of adversity in that game that we had to overcome: offense, defense, special teams. The number of turnovers. … I was real proud of our team.”
Saleh shows out
Robert Saleh returned as San Francisco’s defensive coordinator after previously holding the job from 2017-20; he then had a stint as the New York Jets’ head coach. Saleh called some well-timed blitzes to disrupt Darnold and the Seahawks’ offense.
Seattle had four three-and-outs, two in each half. The Seahawks averaged 3.2 yards per carry, with their longest run a 9-yard scramble by Darnold.
“Saleh’s the man,” Bosa said. “He calls it great.”
Motoring McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey, who was listed as questionable after hurting his calf in practice earlier in the week, was productive for the Niners with nine catches for 73 yards and 22 carries for 69 yards. McCaffrey’s 142 combined yards were his most since Week 15 of the 2023 season.
“We got a scare on Thursday and started feeling much better about it Friday and Saturday,” Shanahan said. “And I did get to talk to him about it. He had a hell of a game, man. It was awesome to have him out there.”
49ers Jake Moody situation
it’s not realistic to completely avoid your place kicker. Shanahan turned to Moody again, to try to tie the game. The result? A blocked kick, which was picked up by the Seahawks and returned eight yards. As the Fox broadcast crew reported, the reaction on the 49ers bench was not happy: helmets were thrown, players were angry.
Moody did eventually hit the tying field goal early in the fourth quarter. But what’s a struggling team to do?
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (Krueger & Crew Post Game)
2025.09.07 – 49ers vs. Seahawks (Krueger & Crew Post Game)
One would assume general manager John Lynch already has a call into veteran kicker Greg Joseph. He was supposed to compete with Moody for the starting job, but was let go relatively early in camp because injuries made it impossible for the 49ers to devote two roster spots to kickers. Yet being freed of competition didn’t seem to improve Moody’s confidence or his consistency.
The Moody situation has to get resolved. As much as fans would love to turn back the clock to 2023, this is not going to be that year. As the opener demonstrated, the 49ers are not going to dominate and are going to be in many close games. Can you continue to turn to a kicker who looks like he has lost confidence? Who has clearly lost the confidence of his teammates and coaches? No, you can’t.
The 49ers opened the new season with a win against a division rival. But the ghosts of the 2024 season aren’t going away quietly.
Injuries
Seahawks: safety Nick Emmanwori sustained an ankle injury in the first half and came back for one special-teams play before being held out the rest of the day.
49ers: During the course of the game both Trent Williams and Fred Warner left the game with injuries. The 49ers also lost Kittle midway through the second quarter, to a hamstring injury and Jennings left the game in the second half, never to return with a shoulder injury.
Up next
49ers: Visit New Orleans next Sunday.
Seahawks: At Pittsburgh next Sunday.
Related: 49ers Brock Purdy signs 5-year extension $265 Million
Related: See below – 49ers rally to beat Lions and secure Super Bowl trip
Read more at: San Francisco 49ers Media Services / More AP NFL
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
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