Niners do it Seattle’s way, beating Seahawks to remain unbeaten

It was a game of verification, of proof, a game that showed that the San Francisco 49ers, indeed, have the qualities of a winner.

Perhaps, thinking optimistically, of a Super Bowl champion.

It wasn’t so much that the Niners won Sunday, but it was the idea that San Francisco beat the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks 32-29, at Seattle, by playing Seattle’s game.

Tough, relentless defense and being opportunistic.

That’s the necessity if you want to get to the top in the NFL, and at the moment, that’s where the Niners reside, without a defeat in five games.  

Yes, there was a considerable amount of offense, much of it provided by receiver Mike Evans, who caught seven balls for 113 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn’t so much how the 49ers moved the ball, but how, at the key moments, they kept the Seahawks from moving it—and forcing four turnovers.

The familiar line is that in football you win on defense, and there’s a reason.  

“The defense was fantastic today,” said Niners coach Kyle Shanahan. Yes, it was. 

It held the Seahawks to 251 net yards, recovered two Seattle fumbles, and picked off two Seattle passes, both by Renaldo Green.

“It enabled us to get the four turnovers,” said Shanahan. 

Although San Francisco hadn’t lost any of its four starts this season, there was some question whether the team was tough enough physically and mentally to win games against the best in the League. Now we know. They are very capable.

Even though defensive star Dre Greenlaw was ejected in the first quarter for head-butting.

It was the sort of rough-and-tumble game involving contenders and winners, and although there are many weeks to go on the schedule, the result has to be wonderfully satisfying to the Niners and their fans. The last time they were 5-0 they made it to Super Bowl LVIII, losing there to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brock Purdy was the Niners quarterback that game, and of course he is still very much around.  Sunday, he showed his resilience and persistence, if not his best stuff, completing 19 of 29 for 189 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

After San Francisco fell behind 26-21 in the third quarter, Purdy brought them back with a touchdown and then got them into position for Eddie Pineiro’s game-winning 44-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining in the game.

“It was not the best game for Purdy,” said Shanahan, “But he kept his composure and escaped a lot of pressure. It wasn’t pretty but we won.”

Truth be told, nothing else really matters in the NFL.