Ugh. Another gut punch from the Bay. The Seattle Seahawks fought hard, but San Francisco outlasted us, 32-29, and a huge reason for that was Mike Evans, who absolutely torched our secondary. Evans earned Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game honors after his standout performance for the 49ers in their win over Seattle, a win that pushed them to a brutal 5-0 record.
Evans Just Couldn’t Be Stopped, Even Hurting
Evans, now in his 13th NFL season, showed he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, and unfortunately, he decided to save it all for our Hawks. The San Francisco wide receiver caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown, practically living in our defensive backfield. His 2-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter wasn’t just a brutal start for us, it was the 111th of his career, tying Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez for ninth on the NFL’s all-time list. If that wasn’t enough, he then snatched the two-point conversion that gave the 49ers a 29-26 lead in the fourth quarter. Dude was a machine, pulling in four catches for 75 yards on their go-ahead touchdown drive alone. He was Brock Purdy’s most reliable target all game, catching seven of his ten targets from Purdy, who finished 19 of 29 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. And get this: Evans played through a rib injury a week earlier. He was visibly hurting and limping during the game, according to Brady, but still kept coming back for more. He even dismissed one of our former Pro Bowl cornerbacks who chirped at him, asking, “Who are you?” Seriously, the guy was playing on another level.
The “GOAT” and the Grinder: A Painful Post-Game Chat
As if watching Evans dominate wasn’t enough, we then had to endure Tom Brady, calling the game on FOX as part of “America’s Game of the Week,” turn his attention to his former Tampa Bay teammate for a post-game interview. Brady opened the conversation by gushing about Evans, saying, “This is the first time I’ve had the chance to do this, and there’s nobody I loved playing with more in the NFL than Mike.” He pressed Evans about needing an ice bath, to which Evans replied, “I need it bad. I need it bad. But it was all worth it.” Of course it was, Mike, you just helped beat our team! Evans later explained his connection with Purdy, saying, “He just told me to stay the course. Scoring on that first drive, the ribs got me a little bit. But as soon as I got warmed up, he kept giving me opportunities. He’s having a great season so far. So, it’s my job to do my best to get open for him and make plays.” Brady even joked about Evans’ infamous moment from 2021 when he handed Brady’s 600th career touchdown ball to a fan. “You had a great touchdown catch today, tying Tony Gonzalez [on the all-time list],” Brady said. “I was actually going to come out of the booth and run down there and throw the ball into the stands, like you did with my 600th touchdown pass. So, you’re lucky I didn’t do that.” Evans, not missing a beat, responded, “I’m not mad about that. I appreciate you.” And he wrapped up their little reunion with a heartfelt “Appreciate you, GOAT. Love you. Let’s f—ing go!” It was all a little much to stomach after watching him tear us apart.
Another tough one for the Emerald City faithful. We gotta regroup and figure out how to stop guys like Evans, especially when they’re playing hurt. That 5-0 for the Niners stings, big time. We know our Hawks can battle, but it’s time to close out these tight ones.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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