49ers’ Super Bowl dreams crash and burn in humiliating 41-6 loss to Seahawks

It's a good thing the 2025 season provided a number of moments to remember for the San Francisco 49ers, because the way it ended will be something they'll never want to think about again.

Hopes of playing in Super Bowl LV at their home field of Levi's Stadium vanished quickly at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday night as the 49ers fell behind on the first play of the game and never recovered in a 41-6 loss to the top-seeded Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round. A kickoff return for a touchdown by Seahawks specialist Rashid Shaheed was the first in an avalanche of ugly lowlights for the 49ers, who fell into a 17-0 first quarter deficit and couldn't recover.

Quarterback Brock Purdy finished with 15 completions on 27 passes for 140 yards, one interception, and one lost fumble for the 49ers, while quarterback Sam Darnold completed 12-of-17 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown after being listed as questionable for the game due to an oblique injury. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker led the way on the ground with 19 carries for 116 yards and three touchdowns.

49ers dig themselves into a deep halftime hole after catastrophic start

As noted, the game couldn't have gotten off to much worse of a start for the 49ers, who opened play with the significant mistake of failing to tackle Shaheed on the opening kickoff. Shaheed, who won All-Pro honors for his accomplishments as a return specialist, fielded the ball at the 5-yard line and jetted downfield 95 yards to start the game with a bang for the Seahawks, giving them a 7-0 lead before either offense took the field.

The 49ers started the next possession on their own 40-yard line after a landing zone infraction by the Seahawks, then moved across midfield on a 3rd-and-6 completion to tight end Jake Tonges. But the drive was soon halted when the 49ers fell short on fourth down when a handoff to fullback Kyle Juszczyk moved backwards after a failed pitch from Juszczyk to running back Christian McCaffrey. Seattle took over at their own 43 and moved 44 yards in 11 plays before adding a 31-yard field goal from Jason Myers to open up a 10-0 lead.

Things went from bad to worse for the 49ers on their next possession, when Tonges fumbled the ball back to the Seahawks after making a reception to give them possession at the San Francisco 42-yard line. A 10-yard sack by safety Malik Mustapha put the Seahawks in a 2nd-and-20, but a 21-yard completion to wide receiver Cooper Kupp on the next play got the Seahawks out of that hole. A 23-yard pass interference call on safety Marques Sigle moved the ball to the 8-yard line, then after a run by running back Kenneth Walker, Darnold found wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown and a 17-0 lead.

After their disastrous first quarter, the 49ers got the second quarter off to a better start with a 10-play, 43-yard drive that ended in a 40-yard field goal by kicker Eddy Piñeiro to cut the lead to 17-3. The drive featured six touches for McCaffrey, including a wild cross-field throw by Purdy to keep the drive alive on a third down.

A three-and-out from the Seahawks followed the field goal, then punter Michael Dickson pinned the 49ers deep in their own territory with a 50-yard coffin corner punt that rolled out of bounds at the 5. The 49ers responded with a 10-play, 57-yard drive that moved the ball inside the Seattle 40-yard line and ended in a field goal by Piñeiro to trim the lead. Several short gains along with completions of 16 and 15 yards to Tonges moved the ball downfield, then Piñeiro connected from 56 yards out to make the score 17-6 with 4:32 remaining in the half.

The 49ers appeared to have another three-and-out on the next possession after the Seahawks took over at their own 20, but a third-down holding penalty on defensive tackle Jordan Elliott negated a stop and gave the Seahawks a first down. Shaheed then struck again with a 30-yard gain on an end-around to the 49ers' 36-yard line as the clock hit the two-minute mark. A 16-yard completion on 3rd-and-10 followed by two runs for 13 yards by Walker set up a 1st-and-Goal, then Walker finished the drive with a touchdown run from seven yards to put the Seahawks up 24-6 with 31 seconds remaining.

The 49ers moved to midfield on the next possession before a Hail Mary attempt by Purdy fell short as the clock hit zero. Much of the stat sheet at halftime looked fairly even, with the Seahawks holding a slim advantage (151-149) in total yardage and an edge of 11-9 in first downs while the 49ers held an edge in time of possession (15:23 to 14:37). But the special teams touchdown and costly fumble and penalties proved to be the difference, putting the 49ers in an unenviable situation heading into the second half.

Sun sets on 49ers season after ugly second half

The 49ers' start to the third quarter wasn't quite as bleak as the first quarter, but it wasn't far off. With McCaffrey sidelined due to an upper body injury and Tonges out of the game after limping off the field with a non-contact injury, the 49ers faced a 4th-and-2 at the Seattle 44-yard line after moving across midfield in six plays. But the play ended in miserable fashion for the 49ers after Purdy was sacked for a 14-yard loss by defensive tackle Leonard Williams, giving the Seahawks the ball at the 49ers' 42-yard line.

The Seahawks responded with an eight-play, 36-yard drive that ended in a field goal to extend their lead to 27-6. Three runs for 17 yards from Walker as well as an 11-yard catch by Kupp put the Seahawks in a 1st-and-10 at the 14, but a pulverizing sack by defensive tackle C.J. West knocked the Seahawks into a 2nd-and-18. The Seahawks were unable to get a first down and had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Myers to extend their lead at the 7:07 mark in the third quarter.

Hopes continued to fade for the 49ers on the next drive, which ended after two plays in the second turnover of the game. After an 11-yard completion to Juszczyk, Purdy fired a pass over the middle intended for tight end Luke Farrell. But linebacker Ernest Jones stepped into the path of the pass and came away with the ball, giving the Seahawks possession at the 49ers' 47-yard line.

The Seahawks cruised downfield from there to score on a six-play drive highlighted by a 15-yard run by Walker and a 15-yard catch by Kupp. Walker capped things off with a second 15-yard run, this one into the end zone to extend their lead to 34-6.

The Seahawks got the ball right back following the touchdown when they forced a turnover on downs on four plays. After starting at the 49ers' 37-yard line, the Seahawks piled it on with more tough running from Walker, who did all the work with five carries for 37 yards on the drive. Walker finished things out with his third touchdown of the night, this one from six yards out to open up a 41-6 lead.

The nightmare continued for the 49ers on the next possession as a strip sack by defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence on the seventh play of the drive was recovered by safety Nick Emmanwori to give the Seahawks the ball at their own 41-yard line. Drew Lock entered the game at quarterback for the Seahawks, who punted back to the 49ers after a three-and-out. The 49ers followed suit by putting backup quarterback Mac Jones in the game, then after trading punts, the 49ers got the ball back with 1:54 remaining and ran out the clock to finish the game.

The 49ers finished the year with an overall record of 13-6, while the Seahawks advance with a record of 15-3.

Game Notes

The Seahawks will now host the winner of Sunday's Bears-Rams matchup in the NFC Championship... Today's loss moves 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's postseason record to 9-5... The game marked the first postseason win for Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald... The 49ers now trail the Seahawks 33-24-0 all-time. The teams split their games in the regular season... The Seahawks were 6.5-point favorites heading into the game... McCaffrey re-entered the game in the third quarter after sustaining his upper body injury.

Scoring Summary

• Q1 15:00 — SF 0, SEA 7
  R. Shaheed 95 yd. kickoff return (J. Myers kick) (0 plays, 0 yds, 0:13)
• Q1 05:10 — SF 0, SEA 10
  J. Myers 31 yd. Field Goal (11 plays, 44 yds, 6:10)
• Q1 01:55 — SF 0, SEA 17
  J. Smith-Njigba 4 yd. pass from S. Darnold (J. Myers kick) (5 plays, 42 yds, 2:27)
• Q2 12:01 — SF 3, SEA 17
  E. Pineiro 40 yd. Field Goal (10 plays, 43 yds, 4:52)
• Q2 04:37 — SF 6, SEA 17
  E. Pineiro 56 yd. Field Goal (10 plays, 57 yds, 5:40)
• Q2 00:36 — SF 6, SEA 24
  K. Walker 7 yd. run (J. Myers kick) (10 plays, 80 yds, 4:01)
• Q3 07:10 — SF 6, SEA 27
  J. Myers 24 yd. Field Goal (8 plays, 36 yds, 4:59)
• Q3 02:28 — SF 6, SEA 34
  K. Walker 15 yd. run (J. Myers kick) (6 plays, 47 yds, 3:46)
• Q4 12:47 — SF 6, SEA 41
  K. Walker 6 yd. run (J. Myers kick) (5 plays, 37 yds, 2:58)

Game and Player Stats