To say a loss on Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks would end the San Francisco 49ers' hopes for a successful season might be an overstatement. However, the team knows their path to turning things around begins with a crucial victory against their NFC West rival at Lumen Field.
The 49ers hold a 2-3 record after dropping three of their last four games—a disappointing start for the defending NFC Champions. To get back on track, they must reach .500 before facing challenging home games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys. Entering the bye week at 2-6 would be a worst-case scenario for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
"I think every game for us is extremely important," quarterback Brock Purdy told reporters ahead of Tuesday's practice. "Obviously, you get through the end of the season, it's like, where you at [with] wins and losses and all that kind of stuff going in the playoffs. So, everything matters. But for us, all that matters right now is Seattle [on] Thursday night, getting back into the win column and just picking up our momentum.
"I think the season is so much about momentum, and obviously staying healthy, and getting ready for the next game. But for us, it's one game at a time. We're not looking too far ahead in the future. And whoever we get up on our schedule for the next game, that's who we've got, but we're not looking too far [ahead], and we've just gotta win."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan is also mindful of where his 49ers stand. They have lost both of their division games so far and are determined to avoid digging themselves deeper in the standings on Thursday night against Seattle.
"Playing against Seattle is always huge," Shanahan said. "Going up there is always huge."
Shanahan noted that while preparing for a Thursday night game is always challenging, the silver lining is the extended rest that follows, which is made much sweeter with a victory.
The locker room remains united, and the team is aware that there's still time to turn things around despite their early struggles in divisional games.
"I think everything's in front of us, and I'm excited to right the ship," defensive end Nick Bosa said. "... It's a lot of pressure. It's not a must-win because—I'm stealing Kyle's team meeting thing—because, technically, your season's over if it's a must-win, but it definitely feels like it, so we're treating it that way."
Still, winning at Lumen Field in front of the passionate Seahawks fanbase is never easy.
"For us, it's sort of just a good reminder of you're going into a hostile environment where they're going to be on you every time we step out onto the field," Purdy explained. "They've got a great defense, great players that we're going against, and a great team. And so, every chance and opportunity you get, you've got to be on top of it.
"And if you can execute and play team football, some good things can come from it. And it feels good when you're able to walk out, knowing that you guys did your job really well. And so, obviously, we've learned that as a team the last couple of years. But this is a new year, it's a new team for both sides, and just got to go in and execute and be dialed in every moment."
