Red-zone woes (surprisingly) don't haunt 49ers on Thursday night vs. Seahawks

Hopefully, the Niners addressed their red-zone woes in a key NFC West showdown against the Hawks.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks / Steph Chambers/GettyImages
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36. 49ers-Seahawks final. 36. 42. Final. 24

In pulling off a much-needed win over the Seahawks, the 49ers' red-zone woes don't appear as bad as they once were... thankfully.

There have already been plenty of themes for the San Francisco 49ers this season: injuries, fourth-quarter collapses and...

Red-zone woes.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense entered its Week 6 Thursday Night Football bout against the Seattle Seahawks with the NFL's fourth-worst red-zone offense, scoring touchdowns a mere 40.9 percent of the time inside the 20-yard line.

Fortunately, the 49ers' red-zone woes continued through only the first half of Thursday Night Football against the Seahawks.

Amid the Niners' 36-24 win versus the Hawks, it's safe to say the problem is at least trending in the right direction.

49ers' red-zone woes slowly dissipate despite win vs. Seahawks

San Francisco experienced an ominous situation at Lumen Field: leading by double-digit points but watching that lead evaporate, thanks to an opponent's late-game surge.

Sounds a lot like the losses to the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals in Weeks 3 and 5, respectively, right?

Failure to find pay dirt in the red zone is a primary reason why the 49ers haven't held those leads, and going 3-of-5 on red-zone drives in Seattle suggests the question marks are going away.

Slowly, perhaps.

Related story: Jordan Mason suffers injury vs. Seahawks: Latest news and updates

Thankfully, the Niners managed to hold on this time. And a late red-zone score from quarterback Brock Purdy to tight end George Kittle, along with a second from fullback Kyle Juszczyk, ensured there'd be no collapse this go-around.

Shanahan and his offense still need to find some sort of urgency to rectify the issues, especially with a Week 7 matchup against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs looming.

Fortunately, San Francisco has a few extra days on the "mini" bye week to solve what's bothering them down inside opponents' 20-yard lines. Should the 49ers' red-zone woes continue, the likelihood of unprotected leads and late-game collapses will increase significantly.

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