These 3 events sealed 49ers' fate in gut-punch loss to Seahawks

The 49ers can point at three specific events that ensured their loss would happen in Week 11 against the Seahawks.

Finger-pointing is a natural reaction to any football loss, particularly when said loss is about as heartbreaking as possible.

Sadly, the San Francisco 49ers have had a few of those this season, now highlighted by yet another fourth-quarter collapse against an NFC West division rival.

The Niners lost 20-17 to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11, and it would be nice if we could simply stick to that statement as a conclusion to why San Francisco is not 5-5 on the year.

It's not that easy, though.

San Francisco's defeat can be blamed on several factors. Being without tight end George Kittle (hamstring) hurt, and the 49ers committed far too many offensive penalties over the course of four quarters.

However, the loss can be pinpointed on these three specific moments.

No. 1: Nick Bosa's injury exit

Defensive end Nick Bosa might not be putting up Defensive Player of the Year numbers in 2024, but he's no doubt having a massive impact on the defense's success.

And it was literally "night and day" a difference before and after his second-half exit because of hip and oblique injuries:

Related story: 49ers loss to Seahawks proves Nick Bosa is more vital than we think

Prior to the injury, the Hawks had six points and a mere 87 yards of offense. After he exited, Seattle scored two touchdowns (including on the drive he exited) and 185 yards.

If one had to pick a single turning-point moment from the game, this would have been it.

No. 2: Brock Purdy's overthrow to Deebo Samuel

On 2nd-and-11 on the Seahawks' 47-yard line, and with San Francisco leading 17-13 with just over three minutes in regulation, quarterback Brock Purdy had a simple play-action read to wide receiver Deebo Samuel, whose depth of target was approximately 10 yards.

This is the kind of play the Niners run in practice dozens of times.

Purdy threw high, allowing Samuel to merely tip it with his fingers, and the ball fell incomplete. You can check out the specific play right here.

After failing to convert on 3rd-and-11, San Francisco was forced to punt, and that set up the Seahawks' game-winning drive.

Putting it bluntly, it was an awful throw, one Purdy should make 10 times out of 10, especially with zero pressure in the pocket. Plus, a would-be completion likely ices the game with the 49ers at least settling for a field-goal try in that range to make it a two-score affair.

No. 3: Bad coverage on Geno Smith's game-winning TD

Of course, the game ultimately turned for good as soon as quarterback Geno Smith scrambled into the end zone for the Hawks' winning touchdown with mere seconds remaining.

Consider the context, though. Seattle was out of timeouts at that point, and any stoppage in bounds would have led to a mad-dash scramble by Smith and the offense to try and get one last-ditch play off before time expired.

Niners Nation's Rich Madrid called out linebacker De'Vondre Campbell for chasing running back Zach Charbonnet, which led to Campbell being out of position to bring down Smith.

Niners Nation's Kyle Posey, meanwhile, placed blame on fellow linebacker Fred Warner:

"Geno looks to his right, moving Warner, who tries to get in the throwing lane. But because he gets too far to his left, it vacates the right side of the defense, allowing Geno free access to the end zone.

Campbell comes off the receiver he’s defending and recognizes it a bit late, but my takeaway from that play was that Warner was out of position—something that has become a bit too frequent during the past few games."

Either way, it's not a good look for San Francisco's backers, who gave up a brutal play at the worst possible time with time on their side.

Read more from Niner Noise