Everyone exhale. That was hard work, wasn't it? Week 1 brought a tough road test against the Seattle Seahawks, and in typical 49ers-Seahawks fashion, the game went down to the wire, was ultimately a slugfest, and was decided by about one or two plays. In the end, the excellent play of Robert Saleh's defense and some tough-as-teak play from quarterback Brock Purdy saw us edge to a 17-13 win, and kill some of the doubts in Ninerland.

After a season of failing to win close games, and often seeing late leads evaporate, it's not easy to ascertain just how important grinding out a close win like that, even in Week 1, might be. You should never overreact in either direction to Week 1 (unless you support the Miami Dolphins, in which case, yeah, panic, your team is going down in flames), but winning in close situations spurs belief. The 2019 team had it with Dre Greenlaw's dramatic one-yard line stop, the 2023 team ground out multiple close wins in tough games, but the 2024 team learnt to do nothing but panic, and frankly, lose, in those situations. The 2025 team's off to a winning start on the road, and that's tremendous news for all concerned. It should galvanise the team, particularly the young players, and give them some belief.

The Kids are Alright (and Should get Better!)

Since I mentioned the team's young players, let's talk about them. I've obviously been a huge proponent of putting youngsters in starting roles, and happily, the team listened, with rookies Mykel Williams, Upton Stout and Marques Sigle all starting the game on defense.

Unfortunately, at least in terms of PFF grading (collated by Sterling Bennett of 49ers Access), none particularly impressed, with Sigle recording the highest grade of all the rookies who played more than a single snap at 59.8. While I am something of a sceptic of PFF grading, it's fair enough in this case, as everyone could see the growing pains, but its not the be-all and end-all.

Stout in particular seemed to struggle against the Seahawks' big and fast receivers, being targeted early and often by new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. That said, he did improve as the game went on, recording a nice pass breakup in the fourth quarter. It's also worth mitigating that game with the caveat that it was his first NFL action at all, having missed the preseason. He'll be fine, and he's growing into a role with two young corners in Renardo Green and Deommodore Lenoir who can show him the path to becoming a top-class defensive back. Green in particular ought to be a role model for Stout, as he continued his upward trajectory with another fantastic game on Sunday.

Behind him, Marques Sigle was pretty impressive overall. The best thing for a safety to do in Robert Saleh's system is not get the finger pointed at them for mistakes. That's something Ji'Ayir Brown was unable to avoid throughout the 2024 season in a similar scheme and even through the preseason. Thus, Sigle got the start, and on the face of it at least, seems to have done that part of his requirements effectively. The fact Sigle was able to add six tackles and a fumble recovery to that will have pleased Saleh, and shows some positive signs for his growth in the long term.

The 49ers influx of defensive linemen didn't really get a chance to showcase itself on Sunday, with CJ West and Alfred Collins' snaps limited as Jordan Elliott and Kalia Davis both had solid games against the run. First-round pick Mykel Williams, meanwhile, had few standout plays, but was a solid part of a defensive unit that seemed particularly stout against the run, something that has been missing from the 49ers defense since DeMeco Ryans departed the team.

Robert Saleh's Young Defense was Impressive

Speaking of that defensive unit, they looked significantly further along than might have been expected. Most, including myself, thought the first few weeks of the season might be hard for such an inexperienced defense (it says a lot, for example, that Renardo Green, only a second-year player himself, found himself mentoring Upton Stout throughout the game), but in a massive credit to the former New York Jets head coach, Saleh has them playing in midseason form already. Holding that Seattle offense to 230 net yards and 3-for-10 on third down (per NFL stats), as well as 13 points, shows how good the unit was. It wasn't just the big names, either, although Nick Bosa's big play to ice the game understandably dominated the headlines. Sure tackling from the run defense led by Kalia Davis and Jordan Elliott, Sam Okuayinonu's hustle play to force a vital fumble, and a particularly explosive game by young linebacker Dee Winters, who really stood out, were all part of the story.

It was mostly just nice to see a 49ers defensive unit playing as a team again, getting multiple players to the ball carrier, and hustling in coverage. The youthful energy the whole team was counting on was definitely there, while Saleh mixed in blitzes and pressures to keep the Seahawks off balance. With a time of possession of 37:58-22:02, the 49ers had the game by the scruff of the neck throughout, and it was only mistakes and issues that kept the team from winning by a wider margin.

Cut Jake Moody

That's all. That's it. Moody missed two field goals on Sunday, although one was blocked due to a general failure of the line to block correctly for the field goal. That led to some furious responses by Kyle Shanahan and the entire 49ers fanbase. Shanahan must end his obsession with the sunk cost of Jake Moody. Enough is enough. Whatever kickers need to be "clutch," Moody doesn't have it. With Shanahan quoted as saying the team are evaluating all options at the kicker position, perhaps the experience is over? [Editor's Note - Yep!]

Regardless of Moody, Special Teams is Still Bad

Brant Boyer has a difficult job, as he's trying to reverse about a decade of sub-par 49ers special teams play. That said, the early returns on this one aren't good. A myriad of penalties and clangers, as well as the blocked field goal, do not bode well for the future of this unit. The 49ers are powered up enough that they can afford to not have any "plus" plays from special teams, making it's primary job not to screw things up. Unfortunately, while they keep blowing coverages and costing the team field position, that's exactly what they're doing. Must do better, and soon.

It's Ricky Pearsall Season, and Brock Purdy Knows It

I was delighted to see Ricky Pearsall show his full potential on Sunday. Targeted seven times (something that arguably should've been more), he came up with four catches for 108 yards, including a crucial fourth-quarter deep ball that set up what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. Just quickly on Purdy: as ugly as his interceptions were, especially the second one, that deep ball was a thing of beauty and shows exactly why he's the team's franchise quarterback. I thought Purdy gritting out a road win against a defensive scheme he often struggles against showed exactly why the team paid him in the offseason. Meanwhile, on Pearsall, he looks set to take a leap and become one of the team's top two receivers. And why not? He looks to have everything needed to be a top receiver, and he beat man coverage, the biggest knock on his game, several times on Sunday. Pearsall SZN!

Injuries Cloud Next Week's Prediction

The 49ers move on to Week 2, where they'll go on the road (weakest schedule, my eye) to face the New Orleans Saints. There's a few worries here, not least the team's aversion to playing well in 1PM ET kickoffs that seems to have hung over them for at least two decades, but injuries to George Kittle and Jauan Jennings also hurt, albeit they may be helped along by the return of former favorite Kendrick Bourne to the roster, a signing announced on Monday. There was a point on Sunday when Brock Purdy was in the huddle and looking at Pearsall, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Russell Gage as his top targets, which feels less than ideal. And yet, talking heads will still continue telling you that Purdy is a 'system QB' helped along by his weapons. Snore.

Anyway, perhaps the more troubling injury is that of Purdy himself, with Kyle Shanahan saying in his Monday press conference that he's dealing with a left shoulder and a toe injury, with the toe injury being most severe. If he can't go, former Patriots first-rounder Mac Jones will get the start, and that's where my belief evaporates. With Purdy, I think the Niners pull out another close win. With Jones...well, it'll depend on Saleh's defense again. Can they hold another offense to a limited number of points?

We'll find out that, and more, next week. Until next time, Go Niners!