SEATTLE – Ho-hum.
Another victory for the Seattle Seahawks.
Another dominating performance from the defense.
Another three touchdowns for Shaun Alexander.
Another 3-0 start.
Yawn.
In what is becoming as routine as an Ichiro Suzuki single, the Seahawks rolled to another victory Sunday afternoon with a 34-0 drubbing of the San Francisco 49ers.
The win gave Seattle its 10th consecutive home win as well as a 3-0 season record for the second year in a row.
Nothing, it would seem, could stop these Seahawks.
But hang on just a second. Seattle’s most harsh opponent over the years is on the horizon.
Here comes the dreaded bye week.
The Seahawks have gone 3-11 following byes since the NFL started giving teams a Sunday off back in 1992. Since coach Mike Holmgren took over in 1999, the Seahawks are 0-5 in games played the week after a bye. By contrast, they are now 6-0 in games played before the bye.
“I’ve never been a big fan of bye weeks,” offensive lineman Robbie Tobeck said as the team prepared for a 13-day layoff that will continue until the Seahawks host St. Louis on Oct. 10. “Especially when you’re 3-0, you want to keep that momentum going. … I’ll be glad when it’s over and we’re back into it.”
By all accounts, Sunday’s game could have qualified as a bye week. The 49ers (0-3) put up about as much fight as a house of cards, ending an NFL-record streak of 420 games in which they had scored. The next longest streak had been held by the Cleveland Browns, who went 274 games in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
On an afternoon when the Seahawks honored Dave Krieg, the 49ers were missing the heck out of Joe Montana.
“That is something that is kind of a tough pill to swallow,” said 49ers quarterback Ken Dorsey, who completed 19 of 32 passes for 153 yards. “This whole game is a pride deal, and it hurts your pride more than anything.”
Seattle’s defense continued to shut down opponents, keeping in tact a streak of 10 consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown. The Seahawks have allowed just one TD in three games – the first time in franchise history that a Seattle defense has given up just one touchdown over that many games. The last time the Seahawks went back-to-back games without allowing a touchdown was 1985.
Through three games this season, the Seahawks have allowed a league-low 13 points. On Sunday, they held San Francisco to 175 yards of total offense and created four turnovers, including two key turnovers that set up first-half scores.
“Anytime you get a shutout in this league, you’ve really done something,” defensive end Grant Wistrom said. “Obviously, we’re very proud of what we’ve done, and hopefully we can continue this week in and week out.”
Ken Lucas set the tone early with an interception on the 49ers’ second drive. Lucas appeared to have returned the interception 51 yards for a touchdown, but officials ruled that his foot had stepped out of bounds at the San Francisco 26-yard line.
The Seahawks settled for a field goal on that drive, then built up a 24-0 halftime lead behind three Alexander touchdowns.
Tight end Itula Mili added a touchdown on the first drive of the second half, Josh Brown kicked another field goal, and almost all the drama was sucked out of the game.
All the drama … except for The Streak. The 49ers had scored at least a field goal in every game since Oct. 1977, which was a fact that former San Francisco player and assistant coach Dwaine Board – now defensive line coach of the Seahawks – brought up to Seattle’s players last week.
The 49ers’ best chance at points had come when they drove to Seattle 29-yard line in the second quarter, but Todd Peterson’s 46-yard field goal attempt bounced off the crossbar.
San Francisco drove into Seattle territory twice in the second half, then came up empty because of a Ken Hamlin interception and a Dorsey fumble.
“It wouldn’t have mattered if they’d have been shut out last week,” Wistrom said. “Anytime you can get a shutout in this league, you’ve got to lay it all on the line and get it done.”
Seattle’s defense was so air-tight that San Francisco receivers failed to advance the ball after a catch until the fourth quarter. Overall, the 49ers had just 38 yards after the catch – 14 of which came on screen passes, and 19 more on tight end Aaron Walker’s fourth-down reception in the fourth quarter.
San Francisco did not convert a third down until 121/2 minutes remained in the game. It was, in the watered-down words of 49ers coach Dennis Erickson, a butt-kicking.
“Every week, we’re going to go and get better, and it’s been the best game that we have played in three weeks,” Alexander said of Sunday’s win. “We’re not settling with that, however. We’re off to a good start, and we want to keep it going.”
One of the Seahawks’ easiest Sundays behind them, now they’re looking to make it through an idle one without any loss of momentum.
Seattle started the 2003 season with a 3-0 record, then came out of a Week 4 bye and got humbled 35-13 at Green Bay. The Seahawks are hoping that part of history gets left in the past.
“Last year was a learning process,” Lucas said. “So we know next time that we can’t relax.”
“Last year, it was like: All right! We’re 3-0!” wide receiver Koren Robinson said. “This year, it’s like: Why shouldn’t we be 3-0?
“We knew we were going to be 3-0. That’s the confidence this team has.”
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