It was also a signature win for first-year Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. Seattle hadn’t held Kyle Shanahan’s Niners offense under 20 points since Week 13 of the 2018 season.

Macdonald was hired to reshape the Seahawks’ defense, and it didn’t work as intended through the first nine games of the season. The bye week changes, which included waiving starting linebacker Tyrel Dodson in favor of rookie Tyrice Knight, paid off.

After allowing a season-high 228 rushing yards against San Francisco in Week 6, the Seahawks held the Niners’ running backs to 92 yards on 21 carries. Niners quarterback Brock Purdy also recorded a season-low 159 yards rushing against Seattle’s coverage.

Seattle stayed within striking distance at halftime, trailing just 7-6. It was a much more manageable deficit than the Seahawks’ situation in Week 6, where they trailed 16-3 after two quarters.

The Seahawks defense made the difference, pressuring San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy and ultimately taking him to the field for the first time this season in the second quarter. Purdy finished the first half 11 of 15 passing for 81 yards and an interception (21 of 28, 159 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT in the game).

The pick was picked up by nose tackle Johnathan Hankins, who snagged the first interception of his 162-game career on a pass breakup from cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

But Purdy still dodged the Seattle pass rush more often than he succumbed to the heat. The Niners’ quarterback made them pay for a 10-yard touchdown late in the first quarter — the longest scoring rush of Purdy’s three-year career.

Offensively, the Seahawks continued their trend from before the bye week: two steps forward, one step back. Sacks of Smith, a bad snap and an inconsistent rushing attack hampered promising drives, leading to just two field goals for Seattle.

Seattle finished the first half with 104 total yards. They had a golden opportunity to capitalize on Hankins’ interception midway through the second quarter, but the offense went back nine yards in three plays.

The first drive of the second half for the Seahawks offense was emblematic of the unit’s problems all season: a short first-down run and second-down incompletion necessitated a long third-down conversion that, with Smith too much tried to do, led to an unforced interception on their own side of the field.

While targeting wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a rollout to the left, Smith sailed the pass and it went right to Niners cornerback Isaac Yiadom, who returned it to the Seattle 27-yard line.

But after holding the Niners to a field goal through stout defense, the offense found a groove. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb remained confident in Smith’s arm and Seattle drove 70 yards on 11 plays to score its first touchdown.

Smith finished the drive 5-of-6 passing for 63 yards, and running back Kenneth Walker III capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run – his first score since Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons. Seattle took a 13-10 lead late in the third quarter.

Niners All-Pro edge rusher Nick Bosa left the game in the second half with a hip/oblique injury, easing some of the pressure on Smith the rest of the game and on Seattle’s first touchdown drive.

San Francisco responded with another impressive drive. Purdy targeted Jauan Jennings four times and completed three, including a 13-yard catch-and-truck play on third down in the Seahawks’ red zone.

Jennings carried four defenders over the first down marker and two plays later caught a short touchdown reception, giving the Niners a 17–13 lead. Jennings, by far San Francisco’s best playmaker on the day, finished with 10 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Seattle’s next attempt reversed the previous trend. After working 33 yards down the field, the Seahawks had two plays to gain one yard at the Niners’ 37-yard line. Smith snuck into third and was stopped. Running back Zach Charbonnet got the ball on a full back dive and couldn’t pick it up on fourth down — shades of the team’s mistakes during their overtime possession that led to their loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 9.

San Francisco got the ball back with just under four minutes left, leading by four points. The Seahawks forced the Niners into their third punt of the day to get another chance to go down and win the game.

Smith completed four passes to Smith-Njigba – finishing with 10 catches and 110 yards receiving on the day – on the final drive and had two long scrambles, including the game winner. In a tug-of-war that has all too often ended up in the Niners’ favor in recent years, the Seahawks finally etched one in the win column.

During San Francisco’s six-game winning streak against the Seahawks over three seasons, the Niners averaged 30.7 points per game. The last time the Niners scored under 20 points against Seattle was on December 2, 2018, in a 43-16 loss to the Seahawks.

The Seahawks didn’t have to stay in a shootout to break their losing streak against their bitter NFC West rivals. It was a defensive struggle, reminiscent of the games Seattle won when it went 17-4 against San Francisco from 2012 to 2021.

Smith, of course, scored the winning touchdown, but the positive differences in the Seahawks’ defense were the catalyst to keep the game within reach for the offense.

In crucial, must-have moments, Smith-Njigba emerges as Smith’s favorite target. After his four catches on the Seahawks’ game-winning drive, he surpassed 100 yards for the second week in a row and the third time this season.

Smith-Njigba didn’t surpass triple-digit receiving yards once as a rookie last season. He now has 17 catches for 390 yards and two touchdowns in Seattle’s last two games — even with DK Metcalf back on the field this week.

The Seahawks return home for a matchup against the division-leading Cardinals (6-4, 2-0 NFC West). Seattle is 3-1 on the road and 2-4 at home this season, including four straight losses in front of the crowd at Lumen Field.

Arizona will have a bye after beating the New York Jets 31-6 in their final game in Week 10. The Cardinals have already defeated the Niners and Rams this season.