The San Francisco 49ers locked down the 27-7 victory in their home opener versus their NFC West rival, the Seattle Seahawks. In a game filled with inclement weather and the loss of their starting quarterback to injury, San Francisco's win was met with a mix of emotions from players, coaches and fans.
"It's tough," Shanahan said. "You feel for someone so bad. It's a sad moment, but you don't have time to sit there and think about it. You've got to get right back to the game. I thought the guys did a real good job of that. We were happy about the win, but it was a little somber once you get in the locker room and you see him."
QB1 Trey Lance Exits the Game Early with a Season-Ending Ankle Injury
San Francisco 49ers QB1 Trey Lance exited Sunday's contest due to an ankle injury sustained the first quarter. The sophomore quarterback was injured on the 49ers second offensive series. No. 5 made contact with two Seattle defenders on a run up the middle and was carted off the field. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game. In his postgame interview, head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the severity of the injury noting that Lance is expected to miss the rest of the season.
"He's doing as good as you can," Shanahan said. "He was just asking me about a couple of the plays before, about some of his reads. That's the type of kid he is, and I'm hurting for him."
Backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo Takes Over
With Lance working through an ankle injury, Garoppolo stepped in at quarterback at the end of the first quarter. No. 10 took over for San Francisco at the 19 yard line on 3rd-and-6 and connected with Brandon Aiyuk for a four-yard gain, setting Robbie Gould up for a 33-yard field goal. Onthe 49ers next possession, Garoppolo led a four-play touchdown-scoring drive that was capped off by a 38-yard TD reception by tight end Ross Dwelley. His second four-play, touchdown-scoring drive came later in the second quarter, following Dwelley's recovery on Seattle's muffed punt. No. 10 even ran in a touchdown on a one-yard quarterback keeper to close out San Francisco's final drive. In his first appearance under center since the 2021 NFC Championship Game, Garoppolo went 13-of-21 for 154 yards and a touchdown.
"Felt good to be back out there," Garoppolo said. "I feel terrible for Trey. I have been on that side of it. This league is tough, and everyone has their share of injuries but that sucks for him. I feel bad for him, but he's our brother. We'll pick him up."
Special Teams Makes Its Mark
All three phases of the ball had a hand in Sunday's win over of the Seahawks. The most notable special teams play came in the second half of the game, following a muffed punt by Seattle. Second-year cornerback Deommodore Lenoir made contact with loose ball and Dwelley was able to recover it to set the 49ers up on Seattle's 22 yard line. San Francisco scored its second touchdown on the ensuing drive.
Jeff Wilson Jr. Steps Up in Elijah Mitchell's Absence
The 49ers fifth-year running back was the team's leading rusher on Sunday, gaining 84 yards on 18 carries and was inches shy of scoring his first rushing touchdown of the 2022 season. Wilson Jr. was tasked with taking over as the team's No. 1 running back with Elijah Mitchell being placed on the Injured Reserve list earlier in the week. This was a big moment for Wilson Jr., who was the team's leading rusher of the 2020 season and faced a major setback in 2021 due to a knee injury. His 84 yards on the ground accounted for nearly half of San Francisco's 189 total rushing yards.
Nick Bosa Zeroes in on Seattle's QB
It's time to update the 2022 Bosa sack count. The third-year defensive end added two sacks in this game and racked up a total of five quarterback hits on Seattle's Geno Smith. Bosa spoke earlier this week about the importantance of getting pressure on the quarterback to help dictate the outcome of this game, and he and the defense delivered—as a unit, their QB hit count was nine.
His first sack came on the first play of the second half, and that statement play set the tone for the defense over the last two quarters.
"We were in an eerily similar situation to last week (in the second half)," Bosa said. "We obviously didn't come out last week and finish the game, so we made sure that we weren't going to let up at all. I think we did that, and we capped it off with a win."
Ross Dwelley Hauls in His First TD of 2022
Dwelley's big preseason has carried over into the 2022 regular season. The fifth-year tight end got additional reps versus Seattle with George Kittle sidelined for a second-straight game, and No. 82 made the most of the opportunity. Dwelley scored the 49ers first receiving touchdown of the regular season, hauling in a 38-yard pass from Garoppolo. Dwelley also made a big play on special teams, recovering a muffed punt by Seattle to position his team within the red zone.
Deebo Samuel Does It All
They don't call Samuel a 'wideback' for nothing—No. 19 had 44 yards through the air and another 53 rushing in an effort to supplement the 49ers ground game in the absence of Mitchell. The bulk of Samuel's yards came on an impressive 51-yard run on a handoff from Lance.
The Defense Comes Up with Two Interceptions
The 49ers now have three interceptions on the year with contributions from Tashaun Gipson Sr. and Charvarius Ward. Gipson Sr.'s takeaway ended Seattle's third offensive drive, and Ward's end zone pick robbed Seattle of a would-be touchdown. Several members of the unit expressed the need to create turnovers given the second half comeback Chicago made last week in the season opener.
