Nick Bosa was the voice of reason for the San Francisco 49ers when many around them wanted them to act as if the season was on the line going into a Thursday night game in early October.
Bosa, the easygoing star edge rusher, is probably the last person on the 49ers you go to when searching for some kind of sense-of-panic soundbite. But he had the perfect response to the repetitive questions he and his teammates received the past four days about Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks being a must-win.
“It’s not a must-win because technically your season’s over if it’s a must-win, but it definitely feels like it,” Bosa said two days ago. “We’re treating it that way.”
The 49ers embraced the urgency and it showed throughout the 36–24 victory against the Seahawks at Lumen Field. There may not have been a season in need of saving just six games into the campaign, but if we truly want to reach for something that could have been lost had the 49ers blown their 20-point lead to the Seahawks, then perhaps that could have been the gap between the 49ers and the rest of the teams in the NFC West.
The Seahawks had a golden opportunity to finally close the distance on the 49ers by handing them a third loss this season against a divisional opponent. San Francisco blew double-digit leads to the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams, and nearly did it again when Seattle trimmed the deficit to 23–17 after receiving a mini jolt from Laviska Shenault Jr.’s 97-yard kickoff return touchdown.
But there was nothing to see after Geno Smith’s killer interception in the fourth quarter—one that came inside Seattle’s 25-yard line and set San Francisco up for a touchdown three plays later. The 49ers (3–3) lost nothing and regained first place in the NFC West after defeating the Seahawks (3–3) for the sixth consecutive time.
There’s nothing to panic about in San Francisco after four days of constantly being asked what’s wrong. Sure, there were many concerns, but the 49ers are getting back to full strength before facing the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs next week for a Super Bowl rematch. They’ll get 10 days before the Week 7 showdown and there’s an outside chance of getting Christian McCaffrey back on the practice field by then. Even if McCaffrey isn’t ready for games until November, that’s still a best-case scenario after the reigning Offensive Player of the Year went to Germany to get his bilateral Achilles tendinitis evaluated.
The outsiders are again calling the 49ers Super Bowl contenders not long after many viewed them as the fatigued defending NFC champions with a heap of problems, including a struggling defense and an absent star running back. The 49ers went from being 0–2 in the division to the best team in the NFC West, and it might not even be close. The Seahawks have lost three consecutive games, the injury-ravaged Rams are 1–4 and the 2–3 Cardinals still haven’t shown they’re capable of stacking victories.
The feelings around the 49ers quickly changed because Deebo Samuel, who’s known for boom-or-bust games, decided to boom on the Seahawks with a 76-yard touchdown. It changed because Jordan Mason ran angry in the first half, looking to bounce-back from his costly fumble against the Cardinals. It changed because Brock Purdy refused to let drives die by scrambling for yards.
It changed because Fred Warner made more otherworldly plays to help the 49ers build a 16–0 advantage in the first half. The season wasn’t on the line, but if the football public is still searching for something to be lost at this point of the season, then it might be the Seahawks’ confidence in beating the 49ers.
Seahawks star receiver DK Metcalf looked defeated midway through the second quarter largely because of the slow start. But it must have taken a mental toll seeing their biggest rival up big again at their house. The past four meetings haven’t been close. Rosters were built in Seattle to dethrone the 49ers in the NFC West and not much has changed.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was hired to close the gap on the 49ers. Perhaps Macdonald deserves a pass for his first game against San Francisco because his defense has been ravaged by injuries and is missing most of its defensive front. But the 49ers were without McCaffrey and Mason missed the bulk of the second half with a shoulder injury. (Mason averaged 8.1 rushing yards per carry before he exited for good in the third quarter.)
Still, San Francisco finished with 483 total yards and 228 rushing yards, including 99 rushing yards from third-stringer Isaac Guerendo. Purdy went 18-of-28 for 255 yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers.
The 49ers were likely always going to be fine because of the depth they have with star players. To repeat: Depth of star players. Probably no other team in the NFL can rattle off more All-Pros on their roster than the 49ers.
Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and George Kittle are the passing options for Purdy, who improved his play when Samuel and Kittle were out of the lineup earlier this season. Purdy earned the massive contract extension that’s likely coming his way in the offseason because of what he did when injuries hindered the star-studded roster. But there was plenty of help for Purdy on Thursday to make an emphatic statement against a divisional rival. The season is still early, but the 49ers appear to be heavy favorites to win the NFC West for a third consecutive season.
The 49ers are going to need McCaffrey to complete their goal of winning the Super Bowl in a stacked NFC that gained a few new contenders this season with the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders and the Atlanta Falcons. The Detroit Lions aren’t going anywhere and a few of their NFC North division counterparts, such as the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, could join the postseason party.
But the 49ers are a playoff team with or without McCaffrey, even though many failed to see it four days ago. Now bring on the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 49ers Show There’s No Need to Panic With Statement Win vs. Seahawks .
