Geno Smith sprinted past the tired San Francisco defense for the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds, then struck the famous “night night” pose made famous by Stephen Curry.
Just when it seemed like the Seattle Seahawks’ playoff hopes might be over, Smith led a drive that not only won the game but could also save their season.
Smith finished an 80-yard drive with a 13-yard scramble with just 12 seconds left, giving the Seahawks their second win in seven games with a 20-17 victory over the 49ers on Sunday.
“We knew what was at stake,” Smith said. “We’re trying to turn around our season. This is a step in the right direction.”
The Seahawks (5-5) started strong under first-year coach Mike Macdonald, winning their first three games. But they struggled after that, losing five of their next six, including a tough loss to the 49ers (5-5) last month.
It seemed like the Seahawks would lose their seventh straight game to the 49ers after allowing a go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, followed by a failed fourth-and-1 attempt in San Francisco territory.
But the Seahawks defense stepped up with a stop, and Smith took over. He completed seven of eight passes for 54 yards on the game-winning drive before running it in against a defense that was missing key player Nick Bosa, who was injured.
“We just knew we had to go down and score,” running back Kenneth Walker III said. “A field goal wasn’t going to get it done.”
With the win, Seattle moved into a three-way tie for second place in the NFC West with San Francisco and the Los Angeles Rams, just one game behind Arizona. The 49ers have now lost three division games, blowing fourth-quarter leads in all of them, including earlier losses to the Rams and Cardinals.
“We gave them a chance,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I thought our defense played great all game until that last drive. We let them hang around and when you let people hang around, that’s what happens.”
The 49ers had taken a 17-13 lead when Brock Purdy threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings with 9:33 left in the game. San Francisco appeared to be in control when they stopped Seattle twice for no gain on a key 4th-and-1 play, giving them a chance to run out the clock.
However, the 49ers couldn’t manage to run the clock out, which allowed Smith and the Seahawks to come back for the win.
Smith finished 25 of 32 for 221 yards, one interception, and the game-winning touchdown run. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 10 passes for 110 yards, and Walker scored on a 1-yard run for Seattle.
Purdy was 21 of 28 for 159 yards, with a touchdown pass, a touchdown run, and an interception. Jennings had 10 catches for 91 yards and a score, while Christian McCaffrey gained 106 yards from scrimmage for San Francisco.
“We have to be better,” said 49ers left tackle Trent Williams. “We have to execute better. We have to put more than 17 points on the board if we want to win a divisional game.”
Both offenses struggled in the first half. The 49ers scored just once on a 10-yard scramble by Purdy, while the Seahawks had to settle for two long field goals by Jason Myers after Smith was sacked on third down in both of those drives.
