SEATTLE – Brock Purdy and the 49ers gave the Seattle Seahawks a chance to believe on Thursday, but then San Francisco closed things out midway through the fourth quarter and took a commanding NFC West lead.
Purdy threw a 28-yard touchdown strike to make up for the first pick-six of his career, and the 49ers’ defense was outstanding from start to finish in a 31-13 victory on the nightcap of a packed Thanksgiving football season at Lumen Field .
The 49ers (8-3) won their third straight and moved one spot to No. 2 behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC playoff rankings. The Detroit Lions dropped to No. 3 with their loss to Green Bay earlier in the day.
The 49ers extended their lead over the Seahawks (6-5) in the NFC West standings to two full games.
Here are the takeaways from the 49ers’ Week 12 win:
Record-breaking McCaffrey
Running back Christian McCaffrey picked up where he left off after his NFL-record touchdown streak ended two weeks ago in Jacksonville.
McCaffrey had two rushing touchdowns in the first half Thursday night, becoming the 49ers’ single-season leader in rushing touchdowns. He now has 11 rushing scores and has six games left.
Previously, six players shared the team record of 10 rushing touchdowns in a season: Frank Gore (2009), Derek Loville (1995), Ricky Watters (1993), Billy Kilmer (1961), JD Smith (1959) and Joe Perry (1953) . .
McCaffrey’s 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave the 49ers a 14-3 lead.
His 8-yard run eight minutes later was something wonderful.
McCaffrey seemed to have nowhere to go on the 49ers’ left side. But he showed patience and a gap opened up, allowing him to cut back, evade six would-be tacklers and get into the end zone.
McCaffrey finished the night with 114 yards on 19 rushing attempts.
Don’t slam the door until . . .
The 49ers had a 21-point lead at halftime and their lead could have been larger.
The offense took over twice in Seattle territory on takeaways and finished with just three points on those possessions.
Those missed opportunities looked big later in the game when the Seahawks made their run.
The 49ers need to do a better job of closing the door if they have a chance to secure a decisive win.
But the 49ers finally secured the victory midway through the fourth quarter.
The 49ers’ defense clearly dominated the first half, ensuring the Seahawks had no first downs on four of their six possessions.
When Seattle finally got a first down, cornerback Ambry Thomas intercepted Geno Smith on the next play.
The Seahawks’ greatest success came in the final 39 seconds of the first half, when they gained 41 yards on four plays and picked up two first downs.
But Seattle couldn’t gain a win as kicker Jason Myers missed a 52-yard field goal attempt on the right side as the first half expired.
Smith was questionable all week after suffering a triceps bruise in Seattle’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11.
Before the final seconds of the first half, Smith completed just two of seven attempts for 4 yards and an interception.
Purdy’s wins over the Seahawks
The Seahawks are the first team to face Purdy three times in his NFL career, and Seattle coach Pete Carroll still needs to find the answers to beat the second-year pro.
Purdy took care of the football and had a solid performance in the first half, completing 15 of 20 pass attempts for 134 yards as the 49ers built a 24-3 lead.
But he made a mistake that gave the Seahawks some life early in the third quarter when his short pass intended for McCaffrey went out of his hands and was intercepted by linebacker Jordyn Brooks. He gained 12 yards for a touchdown. It was the first pick-six of Purdy’s career.
But as the 49ers had to end all of Seattle’s hopes of a comeback, Purdy delivered a touchdown pass to Aiyuk against the coverage of rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
On Thursday, Purdy completed 21 of 30 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was his main target with seven receptions for 79 yards. Samuel scored the 49ers’ first touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run.
Less than a year ago, Purdy made his first road start in Seattle, on the night the 49ers clinched the NFC West title.
Back then, Purdy’s first playoff game was a return game against the Seahawks. In the 49ers’ 41-23 win, he completed 18 of 30 pass attempts for 332 yards and three touchdowns.
Prior to Purdy’s arrival, the 49ers had won just once in Seattle in their previous 11 trips to the Pacific Northwest, but with the Iowa State product under center, San Francisco is 3-0 against the Seahawks and 2-0 in Seattle.