SEATTLE — Brock Purdy and the 49ers gave the Seattle Seahawks hope on Thursday, but then, San Francisco came out on top midway through the fourth quarter to take a commanding NFC West lead.
Purdy threw a 28-yard touchdown to atone for the first pick-six of his career, and the 49ers’ defense was exceptional from start to finish in a 31-13 victory on the nightcap of a full Thanksgiving Day of football at Lumen Field.
The 49ers (8-3) won their third game in a row and jumped a spot to No. 2 in the NFC playoff picture behind the Philadelphia Eagles. The Detroit Lions fell to No. 3 with their loss to Green Bay earlier in the day.
The 49ers widened their lead over the Seahawks (6-5) in the NFC West standings to two full games.
Here are the key points from the 49ers’ Week 12 win:
Record-setting McCaffrey
Running back Christian McCaffrey picked up right where he left off after his NFL-record-tying touchdown streak ended two weeks ago in Jacksonville.
McCaffrey had two rushing touchdowns in the first half of Thursday night’s game to become the 49ers’ single-season leader in rushing touchdowns. He now has 11 rushing scores with six games to play.
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), J.D. Smith (1959) and Joe Perry (1953).
McCaffrey finished the night with 114 yards on 19 rushing attempts.
Failing to slam the door until . . .
The 49ers had a 21-point halftime lead, and their advantage could have been much bigger. The offense twice took over in Seattle territory after takeaways and emerged from those possessions with only three points.
The 49ers had to do a better job of closing the door when they had the opportunity to pull away for a decisive victory. As it was, the 49ers finally sealed the win midway through the fourth quarter.
The 49ers’ defense thoroughly dominated in the first half, limiting the Seahawks to 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 most success the Seahawks had in the first half was in the final 39 seconds when they gained 41 yards on four plays and picked up two first downs.
Smith was questionable throughout the week with a bruised triceps sustained in Seattle’s Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Prior to the final seconds of the first half, Smith completed just two of seven attempts for 4 yards and an interception.
Purdy’s winning ways over Seahawks
The Seahawks are the first team to face Purdy three times in his NFL career, and Seattle coach Pete Carroll is yet to find the answers to beat the second-year pro.
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. Then, Purdy’s first playoff game was a return match against the Seahawks. Prior to Purdy’s arrival, the 49ers won just once in Seattle in their previous 11 visits to the Pacific Northwest. With the Iowa State product behind center, the San Francisco is 3-0 against the Seahawks and 2-0 in Seattle.
