The San Francisco 49ers saw their 2025 season come to a humiliating end on Saturday night, as they suffered a lopsided 41-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, with the 35-point margin of defeat marking the second-highest in franchise playoff history, trailing only the infamous 49-3 "Massacre at the Meadowlands" loss in the Divisional Round to the New York Giants on Jan. 4, 1987.
Now, moral victories obviously aren't the type of victories any NFL team wants this time of year, but the fact that the Niners even made it as far as they did has to be considered a win, what with the absurd amount of high-profile injuries Kyle Shanahan's squad was forced to fight through this season.
And that's the point San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, who missed nearly half the regular season with a nagging case of turf toe, made sure to get across in his postgame press conference. While obviously disappointed with the defeat, the 26-year-old lauded his teammates for their resiliency during such a tumultuous campaign.
"We're fresh out of the game, and our goal was obviously to come in here, win, and go to the NFC Championship Game and go from there," Purdy said. "But, you know, obviously when it just got taken away from us, and Kyle's talking to us, just about the year, and you reflect a little bit, it does feel good just in terms of being reminded of guys stepping up and the resiliency, the character, and the heart of this team was unlike anything I've ever been a part of.
"I know a lot of the guys were saying that. Kyle said it, Trent Williams, like everyone feels it, like the heart, man. And so, for us, it does excite us in terms of, you know, we're going to regroup, get guys healthy, and get back after it. We are excited for the future, but obviously, right now, it just sucks because the loss is fresh in our mouth."
Purdy's statement isn't likely to comfort 49ers fans, but it was honestly about as perfect as things could be put after such a disheartening loss.
The Niners, of course, will now turn their attention to an offseason that will see more than 25 players hit some sort of free agency, a list that includes wide receivers Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne, offensive linemen Ben Bartch and Spencer Burford, defensive linemen Jordan Elliott and Yetur Gross-Matos, punter Thomas Morstead, and kicker Eddy Pineiro. And let's not forget the lingering issue involving Brandon Aiyuk.
So, Purdy could very well "get back after it" in 2026 with a revamped roster.