SEATTLE (AP) — Deebo Samuel didn’t hesitate when asked what’s working for the San Francisco 49ers.

“Brock Purdy,” Samuel said.

Purdy threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns and the Niners never trailed in a 36-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.

Samuel had a 76-yard catch-and-run touchdown and finished with three catches for 102 yards for the reigning NFC champions (3-3), who were dueling with Seattle (3-3) for first place in the NFC West after a lopsided start to the season.

George Kittle added five receptions for 58 yards and two scores for the 49ers, who defeated the Seahawks for the sixth straight season. Kyle Juszczyk had a late TD run and he and Kittle both celebrated their scores by jumping into the stands to hug their wives who were sitting together in the front row.

Matthew Wright, who transferred to San Francisco earlier this week to replace injured kicker Jake Moody, scored three times from 25, 41 and 35 yards in the first half.

“When everyone is on the right track and we do our thing, we’re a tough team to beat,” Purdy said.

Geno Smith passed for 312 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice, and the Seahawks lost their third straight after a 3-0 start under first-year coach Mike Macdonald.

“We just don’t do the things that good football teams do to win football games and that’s why we’re going to attack it. “We’re going to take a breather here and really go back and get to the heart of the matter,” Macdonald said.

Four days after blowing a 23-10 halftime lead and losing to division rival Arizona, San Francisco fended off a second-half tackle to give Seattle a boost Laviska Shenault Jr.’s 97-yard kickoff return scores a touchdown in the third quarter.

After the 49ers stumbled, Smith led a 94-yard drive and Kenneth Walker III scored from 1 yard, bringing Seattle within 23-17.

But Smith’s second interception, this one from Renardo Green, set up Kittle’s second touchdown of the game, giving the Niners a 29-17 lead.

Smith found a 9-yard scoring pass from Tyler Lockett with 1:44 left to cut the score to 29-24. San Francisco responded with Isaac Guerendo’s 76-yard dash downfield, which led to Juszczyk’s 6-yard TD run – a welcome finish for a team that has struggled to close out games.

“We talk about it all the time and it’s something we needed to do better this season,” Purdy said. “Coach always says no matter what the score is, our offense should be able to score points when our team needs them.”

Seattle’s problems with the running game continued, and the team finished the game with 20 carries for 52 yards – 32 by Walker.

Smith was intercepted on Seattle’s first drive. The Seahawks were on the San Francisco 25 when rookie safety Malik Mustapha intercepted a pass intended for Lockett.

Jordan Mason rushed for a 38-yard run on San Francisco’s first series, but the drive ended with Wright’s 25-yard field goal.

Samuel intercepted a pass from Purdy early in the second quarter and shook off a defender for the 76-yard TD that gave the 49ers a 10-0 lead. Samuel became the first receiver in NFL history with 20 or more rushing touchdowns and more than 20 receiving scores.

Darrell Luter Jr. forced a fumble on the Seahawks’ kickoff return and Tatum Bethune recovered on Seattle’s 29th. Wright capped that drive with a 41-yard field goal. Wright’s third field goal gave the Niners a 16-0 lead late in the second quarter.

Aided by a pass interference call that put the ball on the 2-yard line, Smith threw three incomplete passes before the Seahawks settled for Jason Myers’ 20-yard field goal as the first half expired.

Purdy caught Kittle for a 10-yard touchdown early in the second half, making it 23-3.

“He’s a baller,” Purdy said of Kittle. “Obviously when you get the ball in his hands he can do what he can. He can break tackles. Just explosive for a tight end.”

Mason, who left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury, later returned and finished the game with 73 yards on nine carries for the 49ers while continuing to fill in for the injured Christian McCaffrey.

Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins said he isn’t frustrated — yet.

“We have the right people in the room to get the job done. We just have to be really authentic and responsible. And as long as we do that, we should be fine,” Jenkins said. “But it has to happen sooner rather than later.”

Injuries

San Francisco CB Charvarius Ward was a late starter with a bruised knee. It was the first game Ward has missed since joining the Niners in 2022. … Wright left the field shortly before the end of the game after making a tackle on a kickoff return.

As expected, the Seahawks placed OLB Uchenna Nwosu on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Nwosu missed the first four games of the regular season because of a knee sprain. He played just 20 snaps in Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants before getting injured again. … Mustapha left the game in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return.

Next

49ers: Host Kansas City in a Super Bowl rematch on October 20.

Seahawks: At Atlanta on October 20th.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL