2. 49ers explosive plays undid a lot of positives for the Seahawks defense.
There were quite a few good moments for the Seahawks defensive on Sunday. They forced one of the NFL’s best offenses to punt three times in the first half, including two three-and-outs, and punt five times in the game, they sacked Brock Purdy three times, and Seattle also had two takeaways, a Julian Love interception and a Love forced fumble that was recovered by Riq Woolen.
Unfortunately for the Seahawks, those positives were undone by far too many explosive plays for the 49ers, several of which led to touchdowns.
That negative trend started for Seattle on the game’s first play from scrimmage, with running back Christian McCaffrey breaking free for a 72-yard run that was immediately followed by a touchdown. The 49ers’ second touchdown was a 54-yard pass from Brock Purdy to receiver Deebo Samuel, while their third touchdown was set up by a 45-yard reception by receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers found the end zone for the fourth time on yet another big play, a 45-yard touchdown catch and run by tight end George Kittle.
It didn’t help matters that the Seahawks were playing without starting cornerback Tre Brown, who was inactive due to a heel injury, then lost cornerback Devon Witherspoon early in the game to a back injury.
All of those big plays were more than enough for the 49ers to overcome Seattle’s takeaways, as San Francisco was able to pile up 527 yards on offense while averaging 9.9 yards per play.