CNN
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The San Francisco 49ers took part in Thursday Night Football against division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, who needed a win after a stunning home loss to the Arizona Cardinals last time out.

And while there were some nervous moments, the 49ers were able to get back on track with their 36-24 victory at Lumen Field.

After blowing a 13-point lead against the Cardinals in Week 5, it looked like the 49ers were well on their way to banishing those demons as they built a 16-3 halftime lead before expanding it to 23 -3.

But a 97-yard kickoff touchdown from Seattle’s Laviska Shenault on the very next play cut away that lead, while a one-yard touchdown run from Kenneth Walker made it a six-point game with just the fourth quarter remaining.

Unlike Arizona, however, the 49ers did not maintain the pressure. A nine-yard pass from Brock Purdy to George Kittle and a six-yard run from Kyle Juszczyk kept San Francisco ahead of whatever comeback Seattle was trying to mount.

After disappointing losses to the Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams in recent weeks, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he felt “sick” about those results.

But he said after Thursday’s win that he was much more impressed with how his team rebounded against the Seahawks.

“We talked about how these two losses are a reminder of how the NFL works,” Shanahan told reporters. “I think we’ve become a bit spoiled in the sense of human nature, where sometimes we felt too relaxed, and you can never feel too relaxed.

“I thought we played very well in the second half, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to win. That’s kind of how it works. We played well. They played well. They came back and made some plays, which made it more exciting, and I was happy that our guys were able to fight through that, realize that games are never over and that in the fourth quarter you can just sit and chill. You have to go from start to finish, and we had that experience today.”

Purdy led the charge with a clean performance, completing 18 of his 28 throws for 255 yards and three touchdowns.

The 49ers’ running game appeared to take a hit midway through the second quarter when Jordan Mason – who had already replaced Christian McCaffrey – left the game with a shoulder injury. Mason had rushed nine times for 73 yards at that point.

However, San Francisco didn’t miss a beat on the ground as rookie Isaac Guerendo stepped in and carried the ball ten times for 99 yards.

The defense, missing several key starters, also did a great job of holding Seattle’s offense to just 52 rushing yards and intercepting quarterback Geno Smith twice, including on the very first drive of the game.

It was a special game for 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who made NFL history during Thursday’s matchup.

The dual-threat offensive weapon, known for his receiving and rushing skills, scored on a 76-yard touchdown catch midway through the second quarter. In doing so, he became the first wide receiver in NFL history with 20 touchdown receptions and 20 touchdown runs.

And then Samuel talked about the importance of Thursday’s win as San Francisco improved to 3-3.

“It was definitely a must-win, but (I) look at must-wins a little bit differently,” Samuel, who finished with a game-high 102 receiving yards on three receptions and 15 rushing yards, told reporters.

“When you win you have to say: if you lose, you’re done. So ultimately we looked at it as a must-win to definitely get back on track.”