49ers get Thanksgiving vengeance, wallop Seahawks on their turf

It took nine years, but the 49ers returned the favor by beating the Seahawks in a big way on Thanksgiving, doing so in Seattle, too.

San Francisco 49ers fans have been clinging to that memory of quarterback Russell Wilson and then-bad guy cornerback Richard Sherman donning Seattle Seahawks jerseys and eating turkey on the Niners' logo at midfield on Thanksgiving in 2014.

The names have almost entirely changed since then, and Sherman even jumped ship to join San Francisco.

But the fans remember that moment, bitterly.

Returning to Seattle for Thanksgiving in Week 12 this year, the 49ers and their fanbase finally got their revenge as head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. pulled off a 31-13 victory in prime time on Thursday Night Football to improve to 8-3 on the season while putting another game between them and the Hawks in the NFC West standings.

More importantly, the Niners got to eat turkey on the Hawks' logo midfield at Lumen Field.

While the third quarter showed signs of going Seattle's way, it was essentially San Francisco's ball game from its opening possession, which culminated in a 2-yard touchdown run by wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

Samuel was awesome in the game, yes, hauling in seven passes for 79 yards. But it was running back Christian McCaffrey who stole the show.

McCaffrey had 114 yards rushing on 19 carries and two touchdowns while also contributing five catches for 25 yards through the air, making more of a name for himself in franchise record books.

On his second touchdown run, it appeared as if McCaffrey was going to go down multiple times, but he kept churning for the 8-yard score.

"Anytime you run behind this O-line, you just have to have a lot of trust and patience," McCaffrey told reporters after the game. "They did such a great job all day. The tight ends blocked super well. [Kyle Juszczyk] always blocks well. These guys work so well in the run game, receivers blocking.

"You've just got to trust it and stay on your landmarks, and you never know when the hold can open."

49ers defense carves up Seahawks offense

McCaffrey was surely the offensive star for San Francisco, but there were plenty of defensive standouts, too.

Especially cornerback Charvarius Ward, who helped shut down Seahawks star wide receiver DK Metcalf to the tune of three catches for 32 yards while also recording three passes broken up in the process.

In the first half, the 49ers had only allowed 56 yards and three first downs compared to 225 and 16 of their own, respectively.

Edge Nick Bosa had two sacks, while defensive tackle Javon Hargrave had 1.5, while the Niners had six in total on Hawks quarterback Geno Smith.

By game's end, the Hawks only managed the 13 points and only 220 yards, and seven of those points came from when quarterback Brock Purdy tossed an uncharacteristic pick six for Seattle's only touchdown.

49ers increase NFC West lead by 2 games

Purdy and the Niners can feel good about getting the first of two games with Seattle, and the victory also pushes San Francisco's lead in the NFC West to two games.

If the 49ers beat the Seahawks in two weeks, sweeping the season series, they'll own the first tiebreaker if both teams finish with identical records after Week 18. And the Niners also get a crucial victory in both the division and conference, too, which could impact tiebreaking procedures.

Now, San Francisco can take a bit of a break with a mini bye week before its high-profile matchup on the road in Week 13 against the top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles.

A chance for more vengeance after what happened in the NFC Championship game last January?

Perhaps.

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