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Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks blow past 49ers 29-3

San Francisco 49ers' Frank Gore  is tackled by strong safety Kam Chancellor in the first half of Sunday's game that was dominated by the Seahawks.
 (John Froschauer / Fr74207 Ap)
Tim Booth Associated Press
SEATTLE – Richard Sherman celebrated by dancing with cheerleaders, Marshawn Lynch cut, plowed and walked his way to three touchdowns, and Pete Carroll got one rousing birthday gift. The awaited NFC West showdown between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers was completely one-sided. Lynch scored on touchdown runs of 14 and two yards, and added a 7-yard TD reception in the second half, Seattle flustered Colin Kaepernick into his worst passing game as a starter, and the Seahawks dominated in a 29-3 win Sunday night. “Every game we feel like we should dominate, and we did,” Seattle safety Earl Thomas said. The game was delayed 60 minutes late in the first quarter when thunderstorms blew through the area. The highly anticipated matchup was sloppy as opposed to sensational, but Lynch more than did his part. Lynch finished with 135 total yards, including 98 yards rushing, to make up for quarterback Russell Wilson hitting on just two of his first 10 throws and Seattle’s receivers struggling to get open. His touchdown run on the first drive of the second half gave the Seahawks a 12-0 lead. His touchdown catch pushed the advantage to 19-3 early in the fourth quarter. This won’t be a game noted for efficiency or execution by either side. There were careless turnovers and untimely penalties. But that was expected between these nasty rivals and the favorites not just in their division but as potential NFC representatives in the Super Bowl. And it was the Seahawks getting an early, important advantage over the 49ers. Kaepernick failed to get anything going in the passing game, unable to break down Seattle’s stellar secondary. He was intercepted in the end zone in the first quarter when Earl Thomas hauled in a deflected pass intended for Vernon Davis. That was the only time the 49ers threatened to score a touchdown. Kam Chancellor intercepted Kaepernick midway through the fourth quarter, returning the pick to the San Francisco 2 and leading to Lynch’s third TD. Then there was Sherman, Seattle’s ultra-confident All-Pro, who intercepted Kaepernick’s deep sideline pass for Davis with about 13 minutes remaining. He celebrated his first interception of the season by dancing with the cheer squad. Steven Hauschka kicked a 37-yard field goal, and the Seahawks’ lead was 22-3 with 11:31 left. “He should probably stay at cornerback,” Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate joked about Sherman. “I  don’t see a future in that.” And just because Carroll can’t stop competing, he challenged and won the Seahawks another turnover following a kickoff fumble with 4:15 left and Seattle leading by 26. Wilson finished 8 of 19 passing for 142 yards, one of his worst games. Kaepernick was 13 of 28 for 127 yards passing, and he ran for another 87 yards. Frank Gore was held to just 16 yards on nine carries, and Anquan Boldin, who tortured Green Bay last week for 13 catches and 208 yards, was targeted just once in the first three quarters. His only catch came with 9:40 remaining. The 49ers finished with five turnovers and no touchdowns in a game for the third time since the start of 1979 season. Leading 5-0 at halftime after a wacky first half of delays and points coming via safety and a field goal, Seattle started the second half going to Lynch. He carried on the first four plays, and when Seattle faced third-and-12, Wilson scrambled and bought time for Doug Baldwin to get open downfield for a 51-yard reception to the 20. After a penalty backed up the Seahawks to the 14, Lynch took an inside handoff and darted nearly untouched for his first touchdown of the season. Seattle extended the lead later in the half when Wilson stayed in the pocket against blitzing safety Craig Dahl on a third-and-4 at the San Francisco 7 to find Lynch wide open in the left flat. Lynch took a few steps toward the end zone, stopped and waited, and finally crossed the goal line, making it 22-3.  Seahawks 29, 49ers 3   San Francisco 0 0 3 0 – 3 Seattle 0 5 7 17 – 29  Sea – Team safety Sea – FG Hauschka 30 Sea – Lynch 14 run (Hauschka kick) SF – FG Dawson 21 Sea – Lynch 7 pass from Wilson (Hauschka kick) Sea – FG Hauschka 37 Sea – Lynch 2 run (Hauschka kick) A – 68,338.  SF Sea First downs 12 19 Total Net Yards 207 290 Rushes-yards 20-100 47-172 Passing 107 118 Punt Returns 1-0 2-31 Kickoff Returns 2-52 1-24 Interceptions Ret. 1-1 3-69 Comp-Att-Int 13-28-3 8-19-1 Sacked-Yrds Lost 3-20 4-24 Punts 4-49.0 5-34.0 Fumbles-Lost 2-2 1-0 Penalties-Yards 12-121 10-84 Time of Poss/ 23:17 36:43  INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING – San Francisco, Kaepernick 9-87, Gore 9-16, Dixon 1-4, Hunter 1-(minus 7). Seattle, Lynch 28-98, Wilson 10-33, Turbin 6-31, Ware 3-10. PASSING – San Francisco, Kaepernick 13-28-3-127. Seattle, Wilson 8-19-1-142. RECEIVING – San Francisco, K.Williams 4-39, V.Davis 3-20, Miller 2-22, V.McDonald 1-19, Gore 1-14, Boldin 1-7, Moore 1-6. Seattle, Lynch 3-37, Miller 2-22, Baldwin 1-51, Tate 1-19, Rice 1-13. MISSED FIELD GOALS – None.