The 49ers hadn’t won a game at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field since 2011, a stretch of 69 months.
Yet there they were Sunday, with just under 12 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, with a 9-6 lead over the Seahawks. Robbie Gould had just drilled his third field goal of the game, a 34-yarder, to put San Francisco into position to win its first game of the year and under new head coach Kyle Shanahan.
But, it’s hard for opponents to win in the Seahawks’ loud home, and the 49ers eventually were handed a 12-9 loss to fall to 0-2 this season.
After Gould’s third field goal, the Seahawks drove from their own 18 in a clock-burning 10-play drive that ended with Russell Wilson’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Paul Richardson to put Seattle up by three. The Seahawks missed the extra point, however, leaving the door open for the 49ers to tie the game with a field goal when they got the ball back.
But the 49ers went three-and-out and the Seahawks controlled the clock to salt away the victory. The Niners never got the chance to run another play.
The San Francisco defense, in fact, played very well early but seemed to wear down late. With just less than five minutes to play, Seattle’s offense had run 71 plays to San Francisco’s 48. At that point, the 49ers defenders just couldn't make a stop.
The 49ers defense did come up with some big plays, including three sacks (by Tank Carradine, Aaron Lynch and Arik Armstead), but the Seattle running game become more effective late in the game, with Chris Carson (93 yards) and Wilson (34 yards) making some big, drive-continuing plays.
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San Francisco’s own running attack showed some life with Carlos Hyde running for 124 yards on 15 carries, including a 61-yarder, with Matt Breida contributing 35 yards on just four carries. But the passing game again wasn’t dynamic. Brian Hoyer completed just 15-of-27 throws for only 99 yards and an interception and took two sacks.
Now the Niners have a short week in preparation for Game No. 3. They are set to host the Los Angeles Rams Thursday night at 5:25 p.m.
