Saturday ended in rough fashion for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

Purdy walked away the 49ers’ 13-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks battered and bruised.

The 49ers quarterback had his thumb bloodied after he was hit in the second half following a pass attempt.

The hits didn’t stop there for Purdy.

On fourth-and-6 with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Purdy was sandwiched in the pocket by Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall and defensive lineman Leonard Williams as he threw an incomplete pass. Purdy was on the ground for a moment in visible pain before he walked off the field under his own power.

The Seahawks took over possession of the football and went into victory formation with the game decided.

Was Brock Purdy injured against the Seahawks?

Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced postgame that Purdy suffered a stinger on the desperation play.

“Purdy would’ve went back in,” Shanahan said to reporters. “He checked out all right.”

Purdy was sacked three times and hit three times in the loss. He was pressured on 11 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus.

San Francisco’s loss prevented them from winning the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Shanahan said Purdy’s stinger won’t prevent him from playing in next week’s wild-card game.

The 49ers have delt with a slew of injuries this season. Linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) and Nick Bosa (knee) suffered season-ending injuries earlier in the season. Standout left tackle Trent Williams (hamstring) and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee and ankle) were both inactive on Saturday due to injuries.

San Francisco does expect Williams, Pearsall and Purdy to be available for next week’s road playoff game.

“It would’ve been nice to have both home games here and get a bye, but it is what it is,” Shanahan said. “This team’s been through a lot this year. Now we got to do it the hard way. We’ll embrace the (expletive) out of doing it the hard way. Look forward to it.”

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AI-assisted summary
• The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 to win the NFC West title.
• Seattle’s victory clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, securing a first-round bye and homefield advantage.
• The Seahawks defense dominated the game, holding the 49ers to just three points and 173 total yards.

It’s already a happy new year for the Seattle Seahawks.  

The Seahawks secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC and won the NFC West title after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 on Saturday night.

Seattle’s stingy defense controlled most of game as they contained a hot 49ers offense through four quarters.

The Seahawks scored the game’s first touchdown and held a 10-3 lead at halftime.

Seattle managed just a field goal in the fourth quarter, and that represented the only points of the second half.

The 49ers threatened to cut into Seattle’s lead, but Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas intercepted a tipped Brock Purdy pass in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks offense took over possession of the football and proved able to preserve their advantage in what was a dominant performance by Seattle’s defense.  

The victory earned the Seattle the NFC West title and clinched them the No. 1 seed overall in the NFC playoffs.

Here are the winners and losers from the battle out west:

Winners

Seahawks defense

The Seahawks held San Francisco to only three first downs and three points in the first half.

Seattle held San Francisco to just 105 total yards and five first downs entering the fourth quarter.

Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe ended what was a promising drive for the 49ers when he got his finger tips on a Brock Purdy pass intended for Christian McCaffrey. The wobbly football floated behind McCaffrey and was picked off by Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas at Seattle’s 3-yard line with 10:27 left in the fourth quarter.

The turnover helped Seattle maintain a 13-3 lead.

Seattle’s defense held the 49ers to 173 total yards as they went 2-9 on third downs and only managed three points. The 49ers went scoreless in the second half.

Brock Purdy was sacked three times and intercepted once.

The Seahawks came into Week 18 with a top 10 total defense and ranked No. 2 in points allowed (18.1).

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker III

Smith-Njigba and Walker were the two best players on Seattle’s offense.

Smith-Njigba entered Week 18 with an NFL-best 1,709 receiving yards this season. The Seahawks wide receiver produced a game-high six catches for 84 yards.

Walker rushed 16 times for 97 yards in what was a productive night for the RB.  

Seahawks, city of Seattle

The Seahawks will be a rested team come playoff time. Seattle clinched the NFC’s top seed, a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

The road to Super Bowl 60 goes through Seattle in the NFC.

Alternate 49ers jerseys

The 49ers debuted their Nike X NFL Rivalry jerseys on Saturday night. It’s a slick all-black look that features midnight black helmet with a red stripe down the middle and a gold-coated facemask.

Losers

Jason Myers

Myers missed a 47-yard field goal wide right in the second quarter and had a 26-yard field goal brick off the upright in the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks kicker even had a kickoff go out of bounds.

It was an off night for Myers, who came into the contest having not missed a field goal since Week 11.

Seattle’s defense was so dominant, though, Myers’ off night didn’t have much of an impact.  

49ers run defense

Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III had a 19-yard run on third-and-17 late in the third quarter to help Seattle maintain possession.

The Seahawks capped off the drive with a successful 31-yard field goal by Myers to extend their lead to 13-3 with 14:15 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers defense gave up 180 yards on the ground and one touchdown. The Seahawks averaged 4.6 yards per carry.

49ers injuries

The 49ers have dealt with injuries to key players all season. The team’s ability to overcome injuries to players such as linebacker Fred Warner, edge rusher Nick Bosa and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is a big reason why Kyle Shanahan is a coach of the year candidate.

On Saturday, star left tackle Trent Williams was inactive due to a hamstring injury and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was out because of knee and ankle injuries. San Francisco couldn’t overcome its injuries against a good Seahawks club.

Linebacker Dee Winters injured his ankle in the first half, and Purdy took a beating late in Saturday’s game.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams, last year’s NFC West champion, had to watch what amounted to be the NFC West title game.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

AI-assisted summary
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers 16-14 in their final regular-season game.
• Both teams’ playoff hopes now depend on the outcome of the Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints game.
• The Buccaneers need a Saints victory or a tie to win the NFC South and make the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales wore a hat during his team’s Week 18 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that had the word “OPPORTUNITY” written on it. 

Ironic. 

Both teams enter the final day of the regular season with their respective playoff fates beyond their control. A potential Atlanta Falcons victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Jan. 4 would render the Buccaneers’ 16-14 victory in sloppy conditions Jan. 3 in Tampa moot. But if the Saints win (or tie), the Bucs would move on as the NFC’s No. 4 seed and NFC South division winners for the fifth straight season.  

The Panthers cracked the window for the sliding doors scenario – a win would have automatically clinched the division title for Carolina, who can still make the playoffs with a Falcons victory.

“Shoot, I think we’re all gonna be on the seat of our – the edge of our seats (Sunday), watching that game, hoping for the outcome, for the Falcons to pull through,” Canales told reporters after the game. “At the same time, at least we have that hope to look at.”

Baker Mayfield ‘hates’ the Saints, but will pull for them Sunday

For Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, who earlier this season made headlines for espousing his hatred of the Saints, it’s a somewhat awkward situation. 

“We’ll all be pulling for New Orleans,” Mayfield told reporters. 

Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David started his postgame news conference by thanking everybody in the room for the past 14 years, which begged the question: “So is this it?” 

“Nah,” he replied. “I’m trying to see what the Saints are going to do tomorrow.” 

He never thought the day would come in which he had to root for the Saints. 

“I got some guys over there who I know who I can get in contact with to make sure they handle business,” he said. 

Mayfield was quick to point out that a tie could get the Bucs into the playoffs too. He said there could be a group text sent out for a watch party among teammates. 

‘We put ourselves in this situation’

Carolina signal-caller Bryce Young said he hasn’t even thought about the Falcons-Saints matchup. Missing out on the opportunity – there’s that word again – to take the division for themselves and now that it’s in the hands of somebody else is uncomfortable. 

“I might not even watch, to be honest with you,” he told reporters. 

Waiting is all these two teams can do, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said. 

‘Can’t wait for tomorrow if we didn’t win today,” Bowles told reporters. He continued: “Gave ourselves a chance. All we can ask for.” 

He will be watching the 1 p.m. ET kickoff from home. His team watched a 5-1 start to the season slip away and Bowles said they could have made “a ton” of plays down the stretch. But dwelling on the past doesn’t change it, he said. 

“It’s disappointing today. Could be jubilation tomorrow,” Bowles said. “If tomorrow doesn’t happen, it’ll be disappointing. We put ourselves in this situation. We’re grown men about it.”

Mayfield agreed with everything Bowles said. The focus was always beating the Panthers and then letting the chips fall as they may. 

“Honestly, it just felt good to get back into that win column, have that singular-game focus, control what we can control. It’s just about us right now. Go execute to the best level that we can and find a way to win.” 

Mayfield was asked about his thoughts on the Bucs should they advance. 

“Feel good about it,” he said with that type of grin that says more than anything that actually came out of Mayfield’s mouth. “Feel good about it if we get in.” 

“If” being the uncomfortable reality for the last day of the season.

AI-assisted summary
• Tampa Bay’s victory over Carolina did not decide the NFC South, leaving the division title still contested.
• The Atlanta Falcons now have a chance to create a three-way tie for the NFC South title with a win on Sunday.

The NFL runs a risk every May when its schedule comes out – hoping those “TBD” slots it reserves for the Saturday of Week 18 ultimately get filled by games worthy of the standalone broadcast windows.

Jan. 3 provided further proof that the league knows what it’s doing – serving up a pair of matchups with massive postseason stakes. And even then, the schedule makers got another win – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 16-14 defeat of the Carolina Panthers actually failing to decide the NFC South title (more on that later). On the other side of the country, the Seattle Seahawks dominated the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 to win the NFC west and the conference’s top seed.

Scoreboards aside, here are the winners, losers – and otherwise – from Saturday’s games:

Neither winner nor loser

NFC South

The Bucs and Panthers now knotted with 8-9 records, the winner of the division is still unknown. In a vacuum, Tampa Bay owns the common-games tiebreaker that puts the team in its near-perennial spot atop the division. But if the Atlanta Falcons create a three-way tie by winning Sunday, Carolina would get the tiebreaker by virtue of a 3-1 mark against the Falcons and Bucs, eclipsing the other two teams. The ironic aspect? Atlanta and the New Orleans Saints are clearly the division’s best squads at this point of the season.

WINNERS

Seattle Seahawks

Ironically, they’ve been a better road in their two seasons under coach Mike Macdonald. But the ‘Hawks have also won five in a row at Lumen Field, traditionally one of the most raucous venues in the league. Seattle has won 10 of its last 11 postseason games at home – though the loss, five years ago to the Rams, came in the Seahawks’ most recent playoff appearance in the Pacific Northwest. Still, if nothing else, the No. 1 seed not only afford that precious week off, it spares the Seahawks from a far-flung trip from the nation’s corner – and forces another team to possibly take a long flight there.

Sam Darnold

Who says he can’t win the big game? Like Seattle LB Ernest Jones IV said … well we can’t repeat what he said − but job well done, Sam.

Mother Nature

Still undefeated. The footing at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium was bad, and it was evident as players slipped, kicks were affected, and the general quality of play was impacted in such a critical game.

Seattle D

The Seahawks limited the 49ers to three points − after San Francisco had averaged 42.3 over its previous three games. Enough said.

ESPN

The home of “Monday Night Football” continues to enjoy an expanded presence late in the season, broadcasting both of Saturday’s consequential duels with another to come during the wild-card round of the playoffs. A year from now, ESPN will have the Super Bowl for the first time – though it will be simulcast on ABC. And Disney’s NFL footprint is only likely to continue growing ahead of its pending deal to acquire NFL Network, RedZone Channel and other media assets owned and controlled by the NFL, the crossover between the entities already readily apparent.

Los Angeles Rams

They can move ahead of the 49ers and claim the fifth seed by beating the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Why is that important? It would convey a date with the sub-.500 NFC South champion. And, we know, the Panthers beat the Rams a few weeks ago – but we’re betting Matthew Stafford and Co. are ready to roll with real stakes hanging in the balance.

Atlanta Falcons

Hey, a team eliminated from postseason contention weeks ago now has something tangible to play for Sunday in its finale against the Saints. Not only might a season-ending four-game winning streak save this coaching staff but knocking off the Bucs in the process would be especially sweet.

Lavonte David

In what might have been the 14-year veteran’s final game – or at least the linebacker’s last one with the Bucs, his contract set to expire after the season – he recorded six stops Saturday to tie Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks as the most prolific tackler in franchise history.

Rico Dowdle

The Carolina running back, who ran for nearly 1,100 yards in 2024 for the Dallas Cowboys but was grossly undervalued by them and the free agent market has essentially matched that figure this season and earned a $1 million bonus Saturday by reaching 1,350 yards from scrimmage. Dowdle, who signed a $2.75 million contract with the Panthers before the season – and prior to hitting his incentive Saturday and others previously – should see a lot more green on the market a few months from now.

LOSERS

Rico Dowdle

With Carolina set up in the Bucs’ red zone early in the fourth quarter and trailing by nine, Dowdle slipped while tossing the ball back to QB Bryce Young on an apparent flea flicker. Fumble … and pretty much game, set and match. Tampa Bay didn’t actually convert the turnover into points but did burn nearly six precious minutes off the clock before getting a field-goal try blocked. (Regardless, Dowdle still gets to keep his milli.)

San Francisco 49ers

Not only did they fail to climb up to the top spot in the NFC, they could now drop to the sixth by Sunday night. Worse, QB Brock Purdy suffered a stinger near the end of the loss to Seattle and only has a week to get right before the Niners hit the playoff road.

Christian McCaffrey

A guy who was deservedly getting something of a late MVP push was responsible for a late turnover – unable to hang on to a Purdy pass near the goal line in the fourth quarter that turned into an interception – and one that effectively ended the Niners’ shot at that coveted No. 1 seed. ‘It’s a play that I absolutely have to make,’ McCaffrey said afterward.

Jason Myers

Seattle’s kicker missed two field goals, from 47 and 26 yards – not the kind of momentum you want to carry into the Super Bowl tournament.

Third quarter officiating in Tampa

Whether it was the lateral that was prematurely blown dead − though the officials still moved the Panthers back 7 yards − or the dubious offensive pass interference against Tetairoa McMillan, which wiped out his 32-yard reception, the zebras were especially unkind to Carolina as it tried to whittle down a 13-6 halftime deficit.

49ers offense

Kicking off Saturday without injured starters – especially studs like all-universe LT Trent Williams and WR1 Ricky Pearsall – was hardly an ideal way to take on the mighty Seahawks defense with so much hanging in the balance.

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected during the second quarter of the game against the Utah Jazz on Jan. 3 at Chase Center.

After back-to-back technical fouls, Green was sent to the showers early with 2:25 left in the second quarter.

After defending Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski in the paint, Green said something to the official and clapped his hands.

Concerned with the no-call (looking for an offensive three-seconds in the paint?) Green gave up a Lauri Markkanen dunk as he ran freely into the lane after a Filipowski pass.

Green continued to have an animated discussion with the official and received his first technical foul. He continued to argue his case and received a second technical foul from a different official.

Green ended the game with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in 12 minutes. The Warriors trailed at the half, 65-58.

‘I don’t know what he said,’ Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after his team’s 123-114 win.

It was Green’s ninth technical foul of the season. An automatic one-game suspension is issued when a player receives their 16th technical of the NBA regular-season.

‘We need Draymond. I want him out there,’ Kerr said. ‘We’re not halfway through the season yet, so long way to go and we need him.’

Green’s teammates also came to his defense.

‘Believe it or not, Dray sparked us,’ Gary Payton II said. ‘Everybody had to turn it up a notch. You don’t make up for what he does and what he brings to the team. I think after halftime we came out with a little more spark, less turnovers, got in transition and got our shooters open shots.’