The 49ers looked rattled in front of the 12s after Shaheed’s TD sent Lumen Field into a frenzy (much like Marshawn Lynch’s Beast Quake TD in the 2010 playoffs). Niners quarterback Brock Purdy struggled against Seattle’s top-ranked defense, completing 15 of 27 passes for 140 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
Regardless of such a setback, Purdy still believes the 49ers are “100 percent” capable of winning a Super Bowl in the near future.
“I believe we have the right guys,” Purdy told reporters. “Obviously it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. But I think some guys getting healthy and what we stand for and how we always bounce back, I feel like our backs were against the wall basically all season with guys going down, but we always found a way.
“So I think once we get to 100 percent and feel good about ourselves and learn, we’ll be just fine.”
As Purdy mentioned, health was an issue throughout the 49ers 2025 season. Purdy was one of several players on the roster who missed time due to injury. Purdy, Kittle, offensive tackle Trent Williams and wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings were all hit on the year. Kittle, notably, missed six regular-season contests and left San Francisco’s win streak with a torn Achilles. The defense was also bitten by the injury bug. Running back Nick Bosa (torn ACL) and linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) both suffered season-ending injuries and even replacement offenses like Tatum Bethune went down.
Star running back Christian McCaffrey, who battled Achilles, calf and knee injuries in 2024, was one of the rare healthy bodies all year until Sunday. But the All-Pro was held by Seattle’s defense to 35 rushing yards on 11 carries and five receptions for 39 yards, and he suffered a sting that looked painful enough to keep him out if the stakes were different. Instead, he returned to the game and battled through the pain despite the Seahawks’ big second-half lead.
McCaffrey reflected on a challenging season after what had been a largely lost 2024 campaign for him.
“It takes time to process this stuff. It was one of the hardest years of my life,” he said. “Everything that happened to me last year, I had to overcome a lot of odds. From the time that January 1st happened, I was in rehab and I was working my ass off every single day. My wife went through it. It wasn’t much of a vacation. And then again, I think it’s obvious that we’re not proud of how it ended, but when I look back at me and the people that looked back at me and the people that believed in me. when a lot of people didn’t and I appreciate that.”