In a crushing blow to their playoff aspirations, the San Francisco 49ers fell 13-3 to the rival Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium, surrendering the NFC West title and the coveted No. 1 seed in a low-scoring defensive battle that exposed offensive struggles.
The Seahawks’ stingy defense dominated from the start, limiting the 49ers to just 173 total yards while Seattle racked up 361, including 180 on the ground, highlighting a stark mismatch in physicality and execution on a night when little went right for the home team.
Star running back Christian McCaffrey, usually the engine of the offense, was neutralized effectively, managing only 23 rushing yards on eight carries and 35 receiving yards on four catches, as Seattle’s front seven swarmed and disrupted Kyle Shanahan’s schemes relentlessly.
Brock Purdy completed 19 of 27 passes for 127 yards but was sacked three times, while a critical red-zone interception—when a tipped pass bounced off McCaffrey’s hands into a defender’s grasp—sealed any faint hopes of a comeback in the fourth quarter.
As fans filed out in stunned silence, processing the heartbreak of a deflating loss that forces a wild-card road game next week, a quieter, more poignant moment unfolded behind the scenes at Levi’s Stadium.
Christian McCaffrey, visibly subdued despite his efforts on the field, quietly slipped out of the locker room and left the facility shortly after the final whistle, avoiding media and teammates in a rare display of solitude.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan, in his postgame press conference, revealed the sad personal news that McCaffrey had been carrying like a heavy burden throughout the entire game: his close friend Alex Thompson had suffered a severe car accident earlier that day.
The tragedy added profound emotional weight to an already devastating night, explaining McCaffrey’s restrained performance and immediate departure, as the All-Pro star rushed to be with family and support those affected in this heartbreaking turn of events.
