3. Nehemiah “Mighty” Pritchett Nehemiah lived up to his nickname.
When Nehemiah Pritchett was a young child growing up in Jackson, Alabama, some of his cousins, deciding Nehemiah was too much of a mouthful, gave him the nickname, Mighty. That name stuck with Pritchett throughout his childhood and into his NFL career, and on Sunday, the third-year cornerback lived up to the “Mighty” moniker.
Pritchett, who last season made his mark on special teams, has taken on a bigger role on defense this year, but he’s still a key special teamer, and he came up with a big play early in Sunday’s game. As 49ers returner Jacob Cowin settled under a high, wobbling Michael Dickson punt, Pritchett, one of Seattle’s gunners, slowed down just enough to make sure he didn’t get to Cowing early, then blasted Cowing with a hard, legal hit to knock the ball loose, with Eric Saubert recovering for a turnover that set up an eventual Emanuel Wilson touchdown run. Cowing mishandled the punt and it was already going through his hands as Pritchett hit him, so it was officially a muffed punt with no forced fumble, but if not for Pritchett’s well-timed hit, Cowing may well have recovered his own bobble.
In the third quarter, with the Seahawks trailing after too many turnovers of their own, Pritchett came up with another big play, intercepting Brock Purdy—just the second thrown by the 49ers QB this season—giving the Seahawks another short field that would lead to a Jaxon Smith-Njigba touchdown reception.