SI

Kittle Shines As 49ers Hold on vs. Seahawks to Clinch NFC West Title

San Francisco became the first NFL team to clinch its division this season with the “Thursday Night Football” victory.

Madison Williams

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The NFL playoffs are approaching, and it appears the 49ers are rounding fully into gear.

San Francisco became the first team this season to clinch its division after beating the Seahawks 21–13 on Thursday Night Football.

Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy had another efficient night, completing 17 of 26 pass attempts for 217 yards and two touchdown passes to tight end George Kittle, who stole the show on Thursday night. Running back Christian McCaffrey also scored once and racked up 108 yards on 26 carries.

Purdy will likely lead the 49ers in their playoff run as Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t expected back until near the end of the playoffs, if at all, after he suffered a foot injury on Dec. 4. The original 2022 season starter Trey Lance is also out for the entire season with an ankle injury.

San Francisco secured the NFC West title with a 10–4 record, which is now three wins ahead of 7–7 Seattle. It’s quite the comeback after the 49ers started the season 3–4 (and is now starting it’s third-string passer).

As of now, the 49ers sit in the third spot in the NFC playoff picture behind the 12–1 Eagles, who were the first team to clinch a playoff spot, and the 10–3 Vikings. The Seahawks remain in the hunt for a wild-card spot.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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