SAN FRANCISCO – The hare stumbled, the tortoise made its move, and the NFC West race got a whole lot more interesting Sunday afternoon.
In what was billed as the San Francisco 49ers’ biggest game in more than three years, the home team got back into the hunt for a division title by shocking the Seattle Seahawks with a dominating first half, then holding on at the end. The Seahawks’ 20-14 loss cut their division lead over the 49ers to a single game.
“Maybe this is what we needed,” Seahawks cornerback Kelly Herndon said. “We need to understand that it’s a full season, and it’s not over until it’s over. We didn’t play like we wanted to play, so we have to learn from this.
“… Every game is a playoff from here on out, and we have to come together.”
San Francisco (5-5) rode the emotion of an eager home crowd to a 20-0 halftime lead, then held on to win its third game in a row. The Seahawks (6-4) saw their two-game winning streak end.
“I thought we played a very, very, very poor first half to the game,” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. “The second half we played better, but we couldn’t make up enough ground. It’s disappointing.
“… I was not pleased with how we played (Sunday).”
While Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander mostly struggled in his first game since late September – gaining 37 yards on 17 carries – San Francisco running back Frank Gore looked more like the guy who won the NFL’s most valuable player award last year by rushing for a 49ers record 212 yards. Gore took advantage of missed tackles – 15, by unofficial count – to run all over a Seattle defense that has been plagued by inconsistency this year.
“We just didn’t seem to have it,” Herndon said. “Everything was going their way. We weren’t doing what we normally do, and that was kind of stunning. It’s just one of those things.”
With Alexander struggling in his first game since Sept. 24, quarterback Seneca Wallace misfiring in what might be his final start before Matt Hasselbeck returns from injury, and the defense tackling as if Gore had been dipped in baby oil, the Seahawks fell behind 20-0 by halftime.
Wallace rebounded from his slow start to complete nine of his first 12 passes in the second half, including two long touchdown throws to close the gap to 20-14 with 6:40 remaining in the game.
But things fell apart for the Seattle offense after that, despite a pair of opportunities that were handed to the Seahawks on a silver platter.
One drive stalled when Alexander failed to convert a fourth-and-1 at the Seattle 27-yard line. Seahawks defensive end Grant Wistrom forced a Gore fumble to give Seattle another chance, but Wallace threw his third interception on the second play of that drive.
After San Francisco kicker Joe Nedney missed a gimme field goal from 27 yards out, the Seahawks had one last chance but needed to drive 80 yards in 34 seconds. Wallace misfired on his first two throws, then hit Deion Branch for a 3-yard gain to set up fourth-and-7.
With the clock ticking off the final seconds, Wallace threw one more pass underneath, but fullback Mack Strong gained just 16 yards before lateraling the ball to no one in particular. San Francisco fell on the football to secure its first win over the Seahawks in the past seven meetings. It also marked the first time Seattle has lost to an NFC West opponent in its past 12 division games.
“It’s a very big win for a lot of reasons,” said San Francisco coach Mike Nolan, whose team went 4-12 last year. “Beating the defending NFC champions, and also a division opponent, is huge for us.
“Our goal starting out this season was not just to win five games. We’ve won five, but that’s not our goal. … We’ve got a three-game (winning) streak, and we need to build on that.”
While the 49ers outplayed Seattle and suddenly find themselves within one game of first place, the Seahawks didn’t sound overly concerned.
“We feel very secure,” said wide receiver Darrell Jackson, whose 41-yard touchdown catch midway through the fourth quarter cut Seattle’s deficit to six points. “We know we should have won this game. This is a team we know we should beat.
“We still lead the division, and the 49ers still have to come play us at home. We’re just going to go back to the drawing board and get back on track.”
Added defensive tackle Rocky Bernard: “We control our own destiny. If we win out, we won’t have to worry about anyone else.”
The way things looked on Sunday afternoon, the Seahawks might have to start worrying soon.
“If we continue to play our football, we’ll win,” Branch said. “But if we go out and display what we did (Sunday), who knows what will happen?”
For starters, the team that has dominated the NFC West since the beginning of last season just needs to get its groove back.
“We don’t even know what the groove looks like,” Alexander said. “We’re going to be fine, but we have to get back to the basics.”
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