“It just stayed locked up.”

Then came a Kenneth Walker touchdown run with 1:24 left in the same stanza.

What did Shanahan think? In his opinion, it's not about the Rams and Cardinals' losses.

“I’m not going to dwell on what happened in our last two losses,” he said. “It was just a matter of staying in check, not trying to develop any negative feelings and just trying to take it one game at a time. You try to keep our team like that, but it's not like I just talked to a lot of people. “So you don't just try to think like that no matter what the score is and I thought the guys have played like that.

However, Shanahan has clearly addressed these bitter defeats and conveyed to his team that this is exactly how their league works. And it may also be the overconfidence of a talented team that believes they can eke out a win after a lucky start to a game.

“We talked about how these two losses are a reminder of how the NFL works,” Shanahan said. “I think human nature is a little spoiled, sometimes we feel too relaxed, and you can never feel too relaxed.”

“I thought we played really well in the second half, but that doesn't mean it's easy to win, and I was glad our guys were able to get through that and realize that games are really never over when you can just sit and relax in the fourth quarter. You have to persevere from start to finish, and we had that experience today. “

A game-winning interception by rookie Renardo Green in the middle of the fourth period ensured the decisive score. Kittle, returning from a bathroom break in the locker room, caught a 9-yard TD grab from Brock Purdy. Kittle found his wife in the front row and celebrated with her and Juszczyk's significant other.

The Seahawks responded with a score, but then 49ers rookie back Isaac Guerendo broke through with a 76-yard dash. Two plays later, Juszczyk rushed six yards and celebrated again with the women in the front row.

That was the nail in the coffin, a comeback by a division rival crushed and a final stat line of 3-5 in the red zone.

For a San Francisco team that has failed to make two Super Bowls in the last five seasons despite holding a double-digit lead in each of those games, the questions and concerns about ultimate victories will remain. Finally, in Week 7, the 49ers play the Chiefs, the same Kansas City team that gave San Francisco heartbreak in those Super Bowl setbacks.

While the narrative surrounding the team's struggles late in the game doesn't waver, the 49ers certainly got a win they felt they had to have.

“It was definitely a must-win, but (I) look at must-wins a little bit differently,” said wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who led the 49ers to a 10-0 lead with a 76-yard TD in the second quarter. Leadership brought catch. “Must wins are like: If you lose, you’re done. So in the end we looked at it as an absolute win to get back on track.”

The Niners are back on track after Thursday night and sit atop the division they have won the last two seasons. There's no guarantee they won't blow a big lead or struggle in the red zone, but Thursday's result – the celebration and the relief of it – shows them where they're headed.

“Playing four quarters with all those different emotions and parts of the game and being able to rally, let the defense get a turnover and score a touchdown at the end, that's team football, man, and that's the sport “that we play,” Purdy said. “So I feel like we’ve taken a step in the right direction for sure.

“We're always going to have things that we're going to be hard on ourselves about and have to grow and get better at, but I really believe that we all came together as a team and found a way.”