Seahawks studs & duds from heart-breaking Week 1 loss to 49ers

While it was technically their first game of the season, there was a distinct playoff atmosphere for today's matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. The end result wasn't what we were hoping for, but it was nevertheless an instant classic and a reminder of why we love this game. In the end, the 49ers won 17-13 after Sam Darnold's final drive came up short.

Here are our winners and losers from Seattle's season opener.

Stud: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Sam Darnold clearly has a favorite receiver to target. While he wasn't perfect - JSN lost a fumble on the first possession of the fourth quarter - he was still by far the most-productive weapon the Seahawks had on the field. Smith-Njigba finished the afternoon with a game-high 124 yards on nine catches, including a couple that put the Seahawks within striking distance of an upset.

Dud: WR Cooper Kupp

While JSN was thriving, Seattle's No. 2 wide receiver didn't have such a sharp debut with his new team. Kupp only saw three targets the entire game from Darnold. While he caught two of them, the other was a brutal drop coming off a 49ers turnover, which amounted to a huge missed opportunity.

Stud: RB Zach Charbonnet

Perhaps the biggest headline was the new arrangement in Seattle's backfield. They started out the game heavily leaning on Zach Charbonnet, who scored the Seahawks' only touchdown. Charbonnet only averaged 3.9 yards per attempt, but considering the level of defense he was running against that's pretty solid work.

Dud: RB Kenneth Walker III

As the game went on Ken Walker got more and more involved offensively but he never really found a rhythm. He ended up with just 20 yards on 10 carries and four yards on three catches. Walker did not do much to justify a running-back-by-committee approach, if that's what the plan is going forward.

Dud: S Ty Okada

Seattle’s defense gave up just one touchdown in the first half when rookie safety Nick Emmanwori had to leave the field after one snap. The Seahawks put Ty Okada out there in his place, and the 49ers immediately took advantage - getting a go-ahead touchdown drive finished off by George Kittle with Okada in coverage. To be fair, it's a tough assignment for anybody.

Stud: LB Ernest Jones IV

The Niners' first drive of the second haf came crashing to a halt when Ernest Jones pulled off a brilliant interception against Brock Purdy. Jones continued to get key stops throughout the game and finished with eight tackles. He also did a solid job of keeping the defense on-point in a tough environment that had at least as many 49ers fans in the stands as Seahawks fans.

Stud: S Coby Bryant

Another back-end defender that stood out was fourth-year DB Coby Bryant, who seems to have found his true calling as a safety. Last year it was his ball-hawking that got headlines. Today it was Bryant's willingness to put his nose down and make tackles and force several nice stops in space.

Stud: Seahawks defensive line

The real star of this game was Seattle's lethal defensive front. Leonard Williams was once again their most disruptive piece - even if the box score doesn't necessarily reflect that. Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy and DeMarcus Lawrence also had a hand in keeping the pressure on Purdy, who took just one sack but eight quarterback hits.

Dud: CB Riq Woolen

The rollercoaster that is the Riq Woolen experience continued for the Seahawks today. Woolen had his moments, including big pass breakup in the end zone. However, that ball was underthrown by Brock Purdy and should have been a touchdown. Woolen gave up a couple of huge clutch completions to Ricky Pearsall and also misplayed the ball on the game-clinching touchdown.