8 observations, players who stood out in 49ers' Week 1 win over Seahawks

The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks added a classic to their NFC West rivalry in their Week 1 showdown.

San Francisco escaped with a 17-13 win in a game that saw six lead changes across 60 minutes. There are some clear flaws that stood out for the 49ers, but they got out of a divisional road game with a victory which is something they weren’t able to do often a season ago.

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49ers QB Brock Purdy bounced back

It wasn’t a perfect game from Purdy thanks to a pair of not-so-good interceptions. However, he came back and made an excellent deep throw to wide receiver Ricky Pearsall on the team’s game-winning drive. Then he came back and hit tight end Jake Tonges for the game-winning touchdown. Purdy finished with a 74.3 percent completion rate, 277 yards and two touchdowns to go with his two interceptions.

TE Jake Tonges the 49ers’ unlikely hero

Tonges was the recipient of Purdy’s game-winning TD in perhaps the most surprising development of the day. With injuries to some of San Francisco’s key offensive play makers, Tonges got his first real opportunity to make an impact in the NFL. Prior to Sunday he had zero career catches. With TE George Kittle on the sideline, Tonges hauled in all three of his targets for 15 yards. He had the game-winning TD and a big-time reception for a first down on a second-and-8 coming out of the two-minute warning that helped set up the game-winning score.

TE George Kittle, WR Jauan Jennings injured

San Francisco entered the game relatively healthy, but Kittle and Jennings both went down and left the 49ers shorthanded on offense. Kittle suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter. Jennings left with a shoulder issue in the third quarter. Neither returned after leaving which casts a cloud over San Francisco’s season-opening win.

RB Christian McCaffrey carried 49ers on offense

It was a busy day for McCaffrey who was questionable to play with a calf injury. There didn’t appear to be any issues for him as he racked up 31 touches which were his most in a game since he had 32 in a Week 15 win over Seattle in the 2022 season. McCaffrey had a tough time finding running room. He generated only one explosive run (10 or more yards) and one explosive reception (20 or more yards). That he was able to churn through a tough 31-touch game is a great sign for San Francisco.

DE Nick Bosa played hero on strong day for 49ers defense

Bosa was having a fine game, but then he took over on Seattle’s last two offensive plays. First, he dropped running back Kenneth Walker for no gain on a first-and-5, which brought up a passing situation where Bosa once again took over. The 49ers DE pushed Seahawks right tackle Abe Lucas into QB Sam Darnold and forced Darnold to drop the ball as he tried to throw. Bosa then fell on the loose ball and created a game-sealing takeaway in the game’s biggest moment.

49ers rookie CB Upton Stout struggled, but…

The rookie third-round pick had a tough outing to begin Sunday’s game. He allowed a 25-yard completion on Seattle’s first scoring drive. That same series on a fourth-and-3 he committed pass interference against WR Cooper Kupp to give the Seahawks a fresh set of downs at the 1. They punched it in on the next play. However, Stout had a big-time pass breakup on the Seahawks’ final drive on a heady play where he ditched his coverage to find the WR Darnold was targeting. There are going to be some growing pains for the rookies and that showed Sunday.

49ers rookie S Marques Sigle, on the other hand…

Sigle was one of the 49ers’ best defenders Sunday. Seattle didn’t have a ton of success going over the top with Darnold throwing for only 150 yards and completing just two passes of 20-plus yards. It wasn’t just the pass defense, though. Sigle was all over the place against the run and showed off good instincts flying downhill to make tackles. He finished the contest with six tackles and a fumble recovery. The arrow is pointing way up for the fifth-round pick out of Kansas State.

Jake Moody’s time with the 49ers may be over

It was a disaster day for Moody who banged his first attempt, a 27-yard chip shot, off the upright. He later had a field goal attempt blocked, although it’s hard to blame him for that miscue after the line in front of him badly faltered. Moody bounced back to connect on a 32-yard try and a crucial extra point after the 49ers’ game-winning TD. Still, it speaks volumes that a 32-yard field goal and an extra point get marked down as an accomplishment for the 49ers kicker.

More 49ers: 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s injury updates on George Kittle, Jauan Jennings after win

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 8 49ers vs. Seahawks game takeaways that stood out

8 observations, players who stood out in 49ers’ Week 1 win over Seahawks

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