49ers survive wild finish in Seattle, improve to 5-0

The San Francisco 49ers forced four turnovers and stopped Seattle one yard short on the final possession to secure a 32-29 win and improve to 5-0.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Oct 11, 2026, 5:29 PM

Follow on Google News

Mike Evans #5 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with Jake Brendel #64 after scoring a two-point conversion against the Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The San Francisco 49ers passed their biggest test of the season, holding off the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks for a 32-29 win on Sunday. They improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 against NFC West opponents.

It was a messy game on both sides, with the two teams combining for seven turnovers. San Francisco forced four and recorded five sacks, but gave the ball away three times. Renardo Green came away with two interceptions, and the defense made one final stop after Seattle got the ball back down three with 1:56 remaining.

Offensively, Mike Evans led the way with seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, while Brock Purdy finished with 189 passing yards and two touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey also found the end zone as San Francisco left Lumen Field still undefeated after a hectic, back-and-forth battle.

San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks Game Notes

Seattle received the opening kickoff without an explosive return. That was already a better start for San Francisco than the last time these teams met, and Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in Seattle’s dominant win over the 49ers in last season’s NFC Divisional Postseason Round.

San Francisco’s offense opened with a nine-yard Christian McCaffrey run, but two straight incompletions quickly ended the possession. George Kittle, who played through an illness on his 33rd birthday, dropped a third-down pass that would’ve been a big play and kept their opening drive alive.

But their defense did damage earlier and got the ball back quickly. Rookie Jaden Dugger recorded his first career sack before Renardo Green undercut a pass intended for Jaxon Smith-Njigba for an interception on the next play. The turnover put San Francisco in ideal field position at Seattle’s 18-yard line.

Renardo Green gets a pick DEEP in Seahawks territory 🔥 https://t.co/GHuvgO3oyG— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) October 11, 2026

As has been a theme this season, Purdy found Mike Evans for a third-down conversion before throwing him in the end zone. It was Evans’ 111th receiving touchdown, tying Tony Gonzalez for ninth-most in NFL history.

Seattle’s offense didn’t get much down, but a special teams mistake played into their favor. 49ers returner Jacob Cowing muffed a punt, and the Seahawks recovered it just outside the red zone. Emanuel Wilson finished the short-field drive with a touchdown run to tie the game at seven.

SEAHAWKS RECOVER THE MUFFED PUNT@SFvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/GQGrCFx81C— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

Even without Nick Bosa and other defensive linemen, San Francisco’s defensive line was generating pressure. Former Washington Husky Sebastian Valdez, back in familiar territory, recorded his first NFL sack to end another Seattle possession.

But Seattle’s defense, one of the league’s best, also made its presence known. Byron Murphy II brought Purdy down on third-and-1 late in the opening quarter, Purdy’s first time being sacked this season.

Smith-Njigba helped Seattle move the chains in the second quarter before kicker Jason Myers connected on a 49-yard field goal to give the Seahawks their first lead, 10-7.

The 49ers offense kept struggling, but their defense made up for it. Fred Warner did what he does best, punching the ball away from Wilson for his third forced fumble of the season, with Malik Mustapha recovering at the Seattle 11.

49ers take over in the red zone!@SFvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/YmtoOtcTi5— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

McCaffrey needed only one play from there, running it in to put San Francisco back ahead 14-10.

Tempers flared on the next possessions when Dre Greenlaw was flagged for a late hit on Darnold. His momentum carried Greenlaw into the Seahawks sideline, where he got into it with Ernest Jones IV and headbutted the helmet-less linebacker. The officials quickly ejected Greenlaw from the game.

Greenlaw was ejected after headbutting Jones on the sideline https://t.co/N8M1ucPWfD— Billy M (@BillyM_91) October 11, 2026

Without Greenlaw, the defense still made game-changing plays. Gracen Halton and Osa Odighizuwa recorded back-to-back sacks, eventually forcing a third-and-26, though Myers comfortably converted a 50-yard field goal to bring the score within one.

Evans caught a 23-yard pass on San Francisco’s next possession before heading to the sideline and taking a knee. Continuing to play through his rib injury was clearly bothering him but didn’t stop his contributions. The 49ers couldn’t turn the possession into points and punted deep into their own territory.

With 18 seconds remaining and everyone expecting the half to be over, Halton ripped the ball away from Seattle RB George Holani and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. The 49ers headed into halftime with a 21-13 lead despite just 81 passing yards.

GRACEN HALTON HAVE A DAY 👏📺: FOX https://t.co/j24NvY7Ygl— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) October 11, 2026

San Francisco’s defense picked up right where it left off after halftime, with Green intercepting Darnold again on the second play of the half. Green jumped another pass and returned it into Seattle territory, giving the 49ers another short field advantage.

Renardo Green sure knows how to start a half.

His second INT of the game!

@SFvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/EilILMpu7E

— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

Unable to reach the end zone, Eddy Pineiro stepped up to attempt his first field goal of the night, a 52-yarder he missed wide left. Not long after, Seattle answered with a 43-yard field goal, cutting San Francisco’s lead to 21-16.

Purdy, dealing with significantly more pressure than usual this season, threw his first interception of the afternoon. Moments later, Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned a short reception into a 16-yard touchdown, giving Seattle its first lead of the day, 23-21.

On the next possession, Deebo Samuel took a handoff and fumbled while going down, once again giving Seattle favorable field position within the 40. Samuel was injured on the play and quickly ruled out with a hamstring injury. Cowing also briefly left with an ankle injury before later returning.

Deebo Samuel went down here and stayed down. He’s in a lot of pain https://t.co/Xuus0df2gR

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) October 11, 2026

San Francisco’s defense limited the damage to another Myers field goal. Seattle held a 26-21 advantage going into the final frame.

Evans, who came up big all night, kept connecting with Purdy for big plays and third-down conversions. Facing third-and-10, Purdy found his WR1 for 23 yards. An intentional grounding penalty put San Francisco behind the sticks shortly after, but Evans made another big play along the sideline for 28 yards, getting the offense inside the Seattle 10.

MIKE. EVANS. AGAIN.

@SFvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/7OlyUgWcEV

— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

Purdy appeared to find new signing and Bay Area native Brandin Cooks for a touchdown on the next play, but Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald called a timeout just before the snap. San Francisco went right back to it after the stoppage, with Purdy rolling left and finding Cooks for the seven-yard touchdown.

BRANDIN COOKS WELCOME TO THE 49ERS

@SFvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/nwmgTMI77d

— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026

The 49ers initially failed on the two-point attempt to Evans, but pass interference awarded them another chance. Purdy extended the play, then found Evans to tie the game at 29.

Seattle moved downfield before Keion White recorded a third-down sack, giving the 49ers their fifth sack of the day and forcing another punt. A failed third-and-one conversion gave Pineiro a chance to take the lead shortly at the two-minute warning. This time, he connected on a 44-yard pass to give the 49ers a 32-29 lead late.

Their defense needed to step up, as it had all night, to stop a potential game-winning or tying drive. Darnold immediately found Smith-Njigba for 35 yards to reach midfield. He uncharacteristically dropped what would’ve been a big gain after.

Facing fourth-and-10, Darnold completed a short pass to Cooper Kupp, who broke a tackle and attempted to dive across the first-down marker. Malik Mustapha pushed him out of bounds one yard short, and the ruling stood after review. Purdy kneeled out the remaining time to secure the 32-29 win.

San Francisco improved to 5-0 despite three turnovers and an unideal offensive performance at Lumen Field. Purdy finished 19/29 for 189 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while McCaffrey rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Evans showed why his offseason signing mattered, catching seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown while playing with broken ribs. On the other side, Green finished with two interceptions as the 49ers forced four turnovers and sacked Darnold five times.

The 49ers remained undefeated and held an early NFC West lead after avenging the playoff loss that ended their previous season.