The San Francisco 49ers had the perfect opportunity on Saturday — win, and they would clinch the NFC West division and the No. 1 seed in the conference. It certainly would have been the perfect scenario, as the 49ers would have the first round bye and the home field advantage through Super Bowl 60, which takes place at Levi's Stadium. It certainly helped that the 49ers offense has been on a roll, especially quarterback Brock Purdy.
Unfortunately for Purdy, they ran into a buzz saw that was the Seattle Seahawks and their dominant defense. On Saturday, the 49ers lost 13-3 to miss out on a chance to win the division and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The 49ers offense could only muster 173 yards of offense, it certainly didn't help that they were without starting left tackle Trent Williams.
At the end of the game, 49ers fans suffered a scare. On the offense's final play, on fourth-and-six, Purdy threw an incomplete pass to tight end George Kittle. As Purdy let go of the pass, he got sandwiched between linebacker Derick Hall and defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Purdy laid down on the field for a bit after the hard hits, but ultimately left the field to get checked out in the medical tent. This comes after Purdy already had a bloody thumb.
49ers fans were obviously concerned about Purdy's health and if it would affect the team ahead of the first round of the playoffs.
Kyle Shanahan provides positive injury update on Brock Purdy after 49ers lose division to Seahawks
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced after the game that Purdy suffered a stinger on the final play. Shanahan said that Purdy is okay and that he could've gone back in the game if necessary.
#49ers QB Brock Purdy suffered a stinger on the last play that sent him to the medical tent. Coach Kyle Shanahan said he was OK and could’ve gone back in.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 4, 2026
A stinger is still nothing to sneeze at, but at least it's not a more serious injury for Purdy. The good news is that he should be ready to play in their first-round matchup, whoever that may be.
Purdy couldn't really do much in the game against the Seahawks defense. Not having Williams as his blind side blocker certainly played a huge role in that. It also didn't help that he faced pressure from Seattle defenders. According to ESPN Insights, Purdy was pressured on 12-of-32 dropbacks, the most he's been pressured in a game all season. Let's face it, this Seahawks defense is no joke.
All in all, Purdy could only muster 127 passing yards while completing 19-of-27 pass attempts. Purdy also picked up 21 yards on two carries.
Now, the 49ers have to wait and see which seed they clinch on the NFC bracket. If the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers would clinch the No. 6 seed. If the Rams lose to the Cardinals, the 49ers would clinch the No. 5 seed. The 49ers would certainly hope for the latter to happen, as they would face a more favorable matchup against either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Carolina Panthers. But if they face the No. 6 seed, they'd face either the Philadelphia Eagles or Chicago Bears, two tougher opponents.
The 49ers didn't emerge with the victory, but the good news is that Purdy seems to be okay after taking a hard hit at the end of the game.