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Takeaways from Seattle Seahawks' season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers

A gut-wrenching final turnover ended the Seattle Seahawks' hopes in a 17-13 loss on Sunday.
Connor Benintendi|
Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald huddles up during the second half against San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field.
Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald huddles up during the second half against San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa forced a game-sealing fumble by pushing recently minted right tackle Abraham Lucas straight back into the throwing arm of Sam Darnold, and the Seattle Seahawks lost 17-13 to their NFC West rivals on Sunday, Sept. 7, at Lumen Field.

The Seahawks were effective on defense but slow on offense in their season opener. Even with a late 13-10 lead, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy pulled out his heroics to get a would-be game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes to play.

Here’s what we learned from Seattle’s Week 1 loss to San Francisco.

Defense, special teams carry the weight

In the first half, Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV dropped an interception in the middle of the field. He made good on his second attempt, picking off Purdy early in the third quarter to swing the momentum to Seattle, already with a 10-7 lead.

Safety Julian Love blocked a 49ers field goal attempt late in the third quarter, making the 49ers especially hesitant to attempt kicks after Jake Moody also missed a 27-yard attempt before halftime.

The Seahawks’ defense and special teams did everything they could to set up the offense, but that unit wasn’t able to capitalize on multiple opportunities gifted to them. Wide receiver Cody White even had a long return in the fourth quarter, only to have Seattle’s offense go three and out.

With all of San Francisco’s mistakes and Seattle’s defensive heroics, it should’ve been a much bigger lead. Instead, the 49ers were able to tie the game 10-10 with 9:42 remaining in the game.

But the Seahawks’ defense wasn’t done yet. Cornerback Josh Jobe took advantage of an errant deep pass by Purdy with 7:13 remaining, rising up for Seattle’s second interception of the game.

Finally, the Seahawks capitalized with another field goal to regain the advantage. It wasn’t seven points, but it was their first score off a turnover the entire game.

Riq Woolen’s late struggles

San Francisco’s game-winning drive that ended with under two minutes to play was exactly the kind of situation that makes fans question whether cornerback Riq Woolen is worth a huge new contract extension.

Woolen had been good for 3.5 quarters — most notably making a touchdown-saving pass breakup earlier in the game — but faltered badly on San Francisco’s final scoring drive. He misjudged a deep throw from Purdy to wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, slowing down and allowing the 45-yard completion.

A few plays later, Purdy was forced out of the pocket in the red zone while searching for an end zone target. Woolen, who was in tight coverage on 49ers tight end Jake Tonges in the back right of the end zone, had a golden opportunity to intercept Purdy’s game-winning pass. Instead, it fell out of his hands and into the waiting arms of Tonges.

With the offense struggling to piece together drives, even a George Kittle-less San Francisco squad was eventually able to capitalize.

Klint Kubiak, Seahawks offense hype train screeches to a halt

Of their 10 offensive drives, the Seahawks had just three that extended at least 50 yards. The offense finished with just 230 total yards (384 for San Francisco) and 84 rushing yards. That’s a far cry from what was expected in the team’s first game led by Kubiak, which will be a heavy rushing attack.

To the 49ers’ credit, their defense made life especially hard for Sam Darnold and the Seattle offense. But it’s a stark reminder that the perfection seen in the preseason won’t be as easy when the regular season begins.

Growing pains are expected with any offense that has endured as much change as Seattle did this offseason. In some ways, this was a good way to get those out of the way early as they head into Week 2 and beyond.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the lone bright spot, recording nine catches for 124 yards. Cooper Kupp was quiet in his Seahawks debut, totaling two catches for 15 yards. Darnold completed 16 of 23 passes for 150 yards in the loss.

A true two-back approach

The workload split between Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet has been one of the biggest unknowns heading into the season. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has spoken highly of Charbonnet, indicating he could usurp Walker as the starter. Walker’s injury history hasn’t helped his case (eight missed games past two seasons), and he also missed time in training camp with an ankle injury.

Charbonnet also appears to be a better fit in Kubiak’s scheme, which emphasizes a consistent rushing attack and a downhill approach. It could be Charbonnet’s year after he’s taken a backseat in his first two NFL seasons.

Walker totaled 10 carries for just 20 yards, while Charbonnet rushed 12 times for 47 yards and a touchdown.

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Connor Benintendi
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