Purdy 'playing as good as it gets'; 49ers eye 1-seed

What’s Happening

Okay so For the second week in a row, QB Brock Purdy accounted for five touchdowns as the 49ers outlasted the Bears 42-38 in a wild shootout on “Sunday Night Football” to set up a Week 18 showdown with the Seahawks for the NFC’s top seed.

Brock Purdy’s big night sets up 49ers-Seahawks showdown for NFC’s top seed Nick Wagoner Dec 29, 2025, 02:00 AM ET Close Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having before covered the St. (yes, really)

Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN.

The Details

In over a decade with the company, Nick has led ESPN’s coverage of the Niners’ 2019 and 2023 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam’s subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team’s relocation and stadium saga. Follow on X Email Print Open Extended Reactions SANTA CLARA, Calif.

— On a night when the San Francisco 49ers were without All-Pro tight end George Kittle and had All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams for one snap , the weight of their playoff positioning fell on quarterback Brock Purdy . Purdy was up to the challenge.

Why This Matters

Behind his five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing), the Niners outlasted the Chicago Bears 42-38 in a wild shootout on “Sunday Night Football. ” It’s the first time San Francisco has scored 40-plus points in back-to-back games since November 1995. The 49ers improved to 12-4 and will host the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night with the NFC West division title, the No.

This is the kind of move that can define a season.

Key Takeaways

• 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and home-field advantage throughout the postseason on the line.
• That could mean even more for the Niners with Super Bowl LX set to be played at Levi’s Stadium.
• To achieve any of those goals, the Niners will look to Purdy to continue performing like one of the league’s best and most efficient quarterbacks.

The Bottom Line

Editor’s Picks LT Williams injured on 49ers’ 1st offensive play Nick Wagoner Bears defense ‘let the offense down’ in SNF thriller Courtney Cronin NFL Week 17 highlights: 49ers edge Bears in wild SNF shootout ESPN Staff 2 Related “It’s his best [football] right now,” 49ers right tackle Colton McKivitz dropped. “And it’s when his best is needed.

Are you here for this or nah?