Backup tight end Jake Tonges made a game-winning touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, securing a 17-13 victory for the San Francisco 49ers over the Seattle Seahawks in their season opener. The 2022 draft pick, who had only played 20 games since entering the league, stepped up after George Kittle left with a hamstring injury.
The moment came on third-and-3 from the Seahawks’ 4-yard line, as quarterback Brock Purdy surveyed the end zone and couldn’t find a teammate with his team down three. Flushed to his right, Purdy threw up a prayer to Tonges in the back corner of the end zone with Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen draped on him. Somehow, Tonges stepped in front of Woolen, leaped into the air, and snagged the football for the game-winning score. It was Tonges’ third catch of the game, but the most important, as San Francisco came away with a key road victory.
Kittle was seen throwing his hands in the air on the sideline to celebrate his fellow tight end’s pivotal catch. The 49ers secured the victory thanks to a strip-sack by edge rusher Nick Bosa on Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. Seattle was driving at the 49ers’ 9-yard line when the play happened with 42 seconds left.
Purdy finished with 277 passing yards on 26 of 35 with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a roller-coaster opener. While it wasn’t his best performance, having Christian McCaffrey healthy in the backfield certainly helped. McCaffrey’s availability was in question again to start the season, as it was in 2024 when he dealt with bilateral Achilles tendinitis. But this calf ailment wasn’t serious enough to sideline him, and he ran for 69 yards on 22 carries while catching nine passes for 73 yards.
Ricky Pearsall, expected to be a key weapon in San Francisco’s passing game, led the way with 108 yards on four catches, including a 45-yard reception from Purdy. As for the Seahawks, Darnold went 16 of 23 for 150 yards and appears to have strong chemistry with Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who was targeted 13 times and caught nine passes for 124 yards. Zach Charbonnet, not Kenneth Walker III, scored Seattle’s only touchdown.