By Michael-Shawn Dugar, Matt Barrows and Chris Licata
Geno Smith snapped the Seattle Seahawks’ six-game losing streak to the San Francisco 49ers with a game-winning 13-yard rushing touchdown in the final minute of regulation Sunday, securing a 20-17 divisional win.
Both of Seattle’s touchdowns came in the second half once 49ers star pass rusher Nick Bosa exited the game in the third quarter after reaggravating his injured left hip. He did not re-enter despite being listed as questionable to return.
Without Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, the 49ers relied heavily on wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who hauled in a game-high 10 receptions for 91 yards and a go-ahead touchdown with less than 10 minutes to play. However, thanks to Smith’s late-game heroics, the Seahawks pulled even with the Niners’ 5-5 record, creating a three-way tie for second place in the NFC West, behind the 6-4 Arizona Cardinals.
With 12 seconds left, @GenoSmith3 does it himself. 👏 pic.twitter.com/QXR3jEodxh
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 18, 2024
Smith wins it with dominant final drive
On Thursday, Smith said this game was personal. He had lost five straight games (playoffs included) to the 49ers prior to this matchup. Smith was tired of losing to Seattle’s division rival. With the game on the line, he played like a man with something to prove. He accounted for 83 total yards — 54 through the air, 29 on the ground — including the game-winning touchdown scramble with 12 seconds remaining.
His final stat line of 25-for-32 for 221 yards and an interception isn’t anything spectacular, but finally beating the 49ers is enough for Smith and the Seahawks to be celebrating all the way back to Seattle. — Michael-Shawn Dugar, Seahawks beat writer
49ers felt Bosa’s second-half absence in a big way
The 49ers played the final quarter and a half without Bosa, who had 1.5 sacks on the afternoon but who was knocked out of the game by the hip pointer injury he’s been dealing with for two weeks. Bosa had a sack at the 9:26 mark of the third quarter, blowing past right tackle Abraham Lucas and dropping Smith for a seven-yard loss. But he seemed to pull up on the following snap and didn’t play the rest of the series or any of the fourth quarter.
Instead he paced the sidelines while trying to loosen his hip and occasionally consulting with team doctors. Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, Sam Okuayinonu and Robert Beal Jr. filled in at defensive end. Bosa has missed just one game in the last four seasons, a Week 6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in 2022. — Matt Barrows, 49ers senior writer
Jennings carried the load sans Aiyuk, Kittle
The 49ers lost despite another strong game from Jennings, who twice came up big on a critical drive in the fourth quarter. After falling behind 13-10, the 49ers faced two big third downs in Seattle territory. On the first, third-and-11 from Seattle’s 34-yard line, Brock Purdy threaded three defenders to hit Jennings for a 14-yard gain. After a Jake Brendel holding penalty led to another third-and-11 scenario from the Seattle 21, Jennings had an even more remarkable play, one in which he caught a pass well short of the first-down marker but dragged four Seahawks defenders beyond the line to gain.
The 49ers rewarded Jennings, who is filling in for injured Aiyuk at the critical X-receiver position, with an easy touchdown pass two snaps later. Sunday’s outing wasn’t quite as spectacular as Jennings’ Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Rams — 11 catches, 175 yards — but was his fourth game this season with at least 88 receiving yards. — Barrows
Seahawks overcame chaotic week to snap skid
Seattle had a chaotic week coming off its bye. The team surprisingly waived its defensive play caller and leading tackler Tyrel Dodson on Monday then its starting center retired a few days later. They desperately needed this victory, both to stay alive in the hunt for the division title and to avoid falling apart under this new coaching staff.
They accomplished both goals with this dramatic win, which effectively keeps their season alive and gets them out of last place in the division. — Dugar
Required reading
- NFL Week 11 live updates: Ravens-Steelers, Chiefs-Bills, predictions, odds, league scoreboard, inactives
- Can DK Metcalf and Abe Lucas save the Seahawks’ offense (and their season)?
- 49ers’ Deommodore Lenoir jokes he can now repay Kyle Shanahan after rookie miscue
- Why the 49ers were determined to land Evan Anderson: ‘Kept reminding me of D.J.’
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
