5 winners (and 2 losers) from 49ers' Thursday Night Football win vs. Seahawks

The 49ers held onto a win over the Seahawks despite a late-game scare, and there are some pretty clear-cut winners (and a couple of losers) from the bout.

For a brief period of time, it appeared as if the San Francisco 49ers would blow another double-digit lead to an NFC West rival when they faced the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on Thursday Night Football in Week 6.

The Hawks just returned a kickoff for a touchdown, again reminding Niners fans that special teams still need a lot of work despite some recent improvements, and the score led to a change in momentum that gave San Francisco nightmares.

After all, the 49ers have already blown two double-digit leads to NFC West rivals this season.

However, despite Seattle's late surge, the Niners managed to put the proverbial "foot on the gas pedal" late and claimed a 36-24 victory, thanks to some red-zone scoring and back-breaking plays in the fourth quarter.

While the Niners only climbed back to the .500 mark with the win, they also managed to claim the top spot in the division, and the victory generated some clear-cut winners.

And a couple of losers, too.

Winner: CB Renardo Green

San Francisco inactivated injured cornerback Charvarius Ward (knee), which put a spotlight on rookie corner Renardo Green during the game.

Wow, the second-round NFL Draft pick responded.

Amid the Seahawks' late surge, and with the 49ers leading only by six points, Green jumped a route and intercepted a pass from quarterback Geno Smith, completely taking away the momentum the Hawks seized up to that point:

It was Green's first interception at a pro, and it couldn't have come at a bigger time.

Not to be wholly outdone, rookie safety Malik Mustapha picked off Smith, too, back in the first quarter.

But Green's came at a more critical moment, making him a key winner.

Winner: DE Nick Bosa

Defensive end Nick Bosa provided a case study in Week 6 on why sacks aren't a tell-all stat.

Bosa, whose sack numbers may be down this year, nevertheless is a game-changing force. And one could argue Mustapha's pick was directly influenced by the All-Pro's pressure on Smith.

Putting things bluntly, Bosa was wreaking havoc on the pocket all night, helping others create pressure and allowing fellow defensive end Sam Okuayinonu register the Niners' only sack of the evening.

Next Gen Stats was surely impressed with Bosa's efforts:

Bosa also recorded two quarterback hits during the game. While he didn't get his "sackaroonie," he nevertheless made plenty of game-changing impacts throughout.

Winner: TE George Kittle

San Francisco entered Week 6 with the NFL's fourth-worst red-zone offense, but that mark will improve after the offense went 3-of-5 in this crucial area of the field on Thursday.

Key to the 49ers' newfound red-zone success was tight end George Kittle, who hauled in two of quarterback Brock Purdy's three touchdown passes, including this toe-tapping gem:

Kittle also caught what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown grab halfway through the fourth quarter, too, cementing him with a team-high five catches on the night.

While wide receiver Deebo Samuel led the Niners with 102 receiving yards, it was Kittle who helped solve the offense's red-zone woes.

Winner: QB Brock Purdy

Purdy, too, was exemplary during the contest, exorcising demons that could have carried over from last year when then-Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald, tried to repeat his success against San Francisco's signal-caller after having taken over as Seattle's head coach.

Well, not so.

Amid a hostile crowd at Lumen Field, Purdy delivered in a manner all too familiar to 49ers fans in recent years, avoiding turnovers and hitting targets, all the while not being afraid to use his scrambling abilities to pick up extra yards.

In tandem with Kittle, Purdy didn't let the Week 5 debacle against the Arizona Cardinals get to him, taking advantage of a banged-up Seahawks defense to great effect.

And the accolades keep pouring in, too.

Winner: RB Isaac Guerendo

The Niners received a serious blow when running back Jordan Mason, who entered the week as the NFL's second-leading rusher, exited with a shoulder injury just before halftime and was mostly sidelined for quarters three and four.

That put an insane amount of pressure on rookie tailback Isaac Guerendo, who carries some doubts regarding his patience and vision when breaking out of the backfield.

However, those still-developing traits appeared to improve a lot in the second half, as Guerendo was patient for his blockers and was capable of finding seams to attack, including a back-breaking 76-yard run late in the fourth quarter that helped set up fullback Kyle Juszczyk's game-icing touchdown not long thereafter.

While Mason's injury isn't believed to be serious, at least San Francisco can take some comfort in Guerendo's performance.

Loser: K Matthew Wright

OK, we're being a little harsh here.

Kicker Matthew Wright went 3-of-3 on field-goal tries during the game, filling in for injured kicker Jake Moody after the latter suffered a high-ankle sprain while trying to make a tackle in Week 5.

But then, Wright tried to attempt a special teams tackle of his own, injuring his shoulder in the process.

Seriously, kickers. Don't tackle.

Loser: WR D.K. Metcalf

It's always fun to call out a rival team's players, and Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf gets the nod as a loser here.

Metcalf, who should have been licking his chops with Ward out of action, was an early preferred target of Smith, but some awfully questionable hands certainly derailed the Hawks' efforts to get out to a hot start on Thursday night.

On a whopping 11 targets, Metcalf hauled in just three passes for 48 yards. And while Pro Football Focus credited him with just one single drop, fans could argue at least two more broken-up passes should have been hauled in by Seattle's No. 1 receiver.

They weren't, though.

Metcalf was mostly a non-factor, and the 49ers did an excellent job of forcing him into the loser ranks.

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