49ers rally in opener but face multiple injury questions after 17-13 win over Seahawks

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers rallied to a 17-13 season-opening victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday but emerged from the game with significant injury concerns, most notably for tight end George Kittle and quarterback Brock Purdy.

Kittle will be sidelined for at least a few weeks with a hamstring injury, coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday, and Purdy left the game with a hurt toe and left shoulder. Shanahan said the team expects to have clearer information on Purdy’s status later this week ahead of the Niners’ Week 2 trip to New Orleans.

San Francisco overcame special-teams mishaps and a late deficit to secure the win, thanks to an improbable touchdown pass from Purdy to little-used tight end Jake Tonges and a game-sealing strip-sack by defensive end Nick Bosa. Purdy engineered the go-ahead drive after the Niners trailed 13-10 late; he completed a 45-yard pass to Ricky Pearsall on the drive and then, while being pressured, lofted a pass that Tonges won the jump on to record his first career touchdown with 1:34 remaining.

NFL Next Gen Stats put the catch probability at 14.7%, highlighting the play’s improbability. The touchdown also marked Purdy’s first career scoring pass in the final seven minutes of regulation or overtime when tied or trailing by a score. The sequence proved decisive when Bosa strip-sacked Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold near the goal line on Seattle’s ensuing possession.

Christian McCaffrey, who finished with 31 touches for 142 total yards after missing 13 games last season, said the victory was meaningful for a team with several new contributors. “I think we have a really new team,” McCaffrey said. “To have a bunch of new guys come out for the first time together and to play with each other and get out a gritty win against a good team in a tough environment, that’s a big deal.”

Defensively, the 49ers showed improvement against the run, holding Seattle to 3.2 yards per carry and yielding no rushes longer than nine yards. Offensively, however, the running game struggled to consistently open lanes; McCaffrey was held to 69 rushing yards on 22 carries (3.1 yards per carry), and backup Brian Robinson managed nine carries for 33 yards and one first down.

Tonges, who entered the game with no career catches and one previous target in 51 snaps across 20 games, finished the day with his first career receptions — all coming on the game-winning drive. He became the first San Francisco tight end other than Kittle to record at least three catches and a touchdown in a game since Jordan Reed on Dec. 7, 2020.

Special teams continued to be a concern. Kicker Jake Moody missed a 27-yard field goal at the end of the first half and had a 30-yard attempt blocked in the second half. It was the first time the 49ers missed two field goals inside 40 yards in a game since Nov. 19, 2006. Shanahan said the team could bring in a kicker for competition this week.

In addition to Kittle and Purdy, wide receiver Jauan Jennings departed Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. An MRI on Monday was clean, but Jennings still must undergo a CT scan before the team can determine his availability for New Orleans. Left guard Ben Bartch is listed day to day with a minor knee sprain.

Purdy’s 67 yards passing on the final drive were the most by a 49ers quarterback on a come-from-behind, game-winning drive since Alex Smith had 85 yards in the 2011 divisional round against New Orleans. San Francisco improved to 1-0 and will visit the Saints on Sunday as it seeks a 2-0 start. Under Shanahan, the team has begun 2-0 in three of the last nine seasons, including both Super Bowl seasons in 2019 and 2023.

The 49ers enter the week balancing the boost of a win with the realities of injuries to key contributors. Shanahan and the medical staff said they will provide further updates later in the week as they evaluate the health of Purdy, Kittle and others ahead of the trip to New Orleans.