The San Francisco 49ers' 2025 season began with a gritty and resilient 17-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. A late touchdown from Brock Purdy to seldom-used tight end Jake Tonges with 1:34 remaining was the difference. Nick Bosa's forced fumble against Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold with less than a minute in regulation ultimately preserved the win, which came at a severe cost.
Tight end George Kittle left after the first offensive drive—which culminated in his touchdown—with a hamstring injury. Purdy finished with respectable numbers, despite throwing two interceptions and orchestrating the game-winning drive to near perfection (4/5 for 72 yards). Reports now confirm that Purdy suffered a turf toe variant injury, which is expected to keep him out of the lineup for at least two weeks.
On deck this week is another road tilt against the New Orleans Saints. The Saints dropped their opener against Arizona 20-13. Although, they still have a few offensive weapons, not to mention impressive Week One pass rush numbers (five sacks), most consider New Orleans more of a pretender than a contender this year, which gives the 49ers an opportunity to earn their second road win in as many weeks.
Here are the five 49ers to watch for.
5. DL Mykel Williams
The first NFL game for the 11th overall pick from Georgia produced bagels out of 37 snaps played. Mykel Williams possesses impressive versatility and athleticism, but has yet to show up in-game and certainly not on the stats. The Saints' former first-round right tackle, Taliese Fuaga, now in his second year, is the matchup for Williams this week. Fuaga's measurables look similar to Williams', according to scouting reports, with a knee injury and an additional 50 pounds to boot. Williams doesn't need to wreck the game, but at the very least, provide a punch to counterpart defensive end Nick Bosa, whose drive and impact are relentless.
4. LB Dee Winters
Saints tight end Juwan Johnson is not considered elite or even fantasy draftable for the football degenerates, but in the eyes of the New Orleans offense, he's certainly a target that needs to be accounted for, considering his eight receptions in Week One against Arizona. Dee Winters showed excellent instincts at Seattle, recording two tackles for a loss. Presuming Fred Warner is all in on stopping Alvin Kamara isolations and screen passes in the flat, the responsibility of defending the middle of the field for potential quick outs or seam routes falls on Winters, who is assuredly up to the challenge.
3. RB Christian McCaffrey
While Christian McCaffrey had an injury-riddled 2024, he reportedly had an excellent and healthy training camp before showing up on the Week One injury report with a gimpy calf. However, a 31-touch, 145-yard performance from scrimmage against the Seahawks speaks to his toughness. Given the change at quarterback in the short term, McCaffrey is now considered the ultimate security blanket and could replicate his volume, while looking to increase his yards per rush numbers, considering the Saints allowed 146 rush yards to Arizona at 5.4 yards per carry.
2. QB Mac Jones
The former Patriots first-rounder in 2021 from Alabama now takes the helm under center for the 49ers. "McCorkle" has 10 more touchdowns than interceptions, a Pro Bowl selection under his belt, and can still throw the ball with respectable accuracy. There is one noticeable shortcoming: Jones doesn't extend plays because of a lack of mobility, which extends into taking big sacks and throwing interceptions. That must be avoided this week.
The running game will be key to take pressure off Jones initially. Once established, expect quick slants and short routes to dominate until head coach Kyle Shanahan feels confident enough to call a deep play-action or double-move post. If all else fails, as previously mentioned, Jones must know where CMC is at all times and find him.
1. K Eddy Piñeiro
To no surprise, the Jake Moody regime is over in San Francisco, which leads to one overriding lesson: don't invest third-round draft picks on kickers! Eddy Piñeiro, Moody's replacement, has accuracy, experience, and four game-winning kicks to his résumé. Given the barrage of injuries to the 49ers' offensive horses, and how dominant Robert Saleh's defense looked against Seattle, Piñeiro needs to be consistent. Not to necessarily win games with his leg, but certainly not be the main reason they lose.
Assuming every game will be a war of attrition to score until they get healthy, the 49ers will need every point, especially by way of field goals and extra points.