SEATTLE – Through the first 120 minutes of action this season, the Seattle Seahawks managed just 15 points.
But the sight of the 49ers proved to be the antidote to what ailed Russell Wilson and the Seahawks' offense in the first two games.
Wilson, who had been hobbled with an ankle sprain, was his usual swash-buckling self, as he tore the 49ers apart with an array of deep throws. And running back Christine Michael had his way against the overmatched 49ers, too.
The 49ers were never in the game on Sunday, as the Seahawks put together a three-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the first minute of the game and cruised to a 37-18 victory at CenturyLink Field.
The Seahawks (2-1) ran their win streaks against the 49ers (1-2) to six games overall and six games in Seattle.
The 49ers did not record a first down until the final play of the first quarter. In the first half while three of the 49ers' six possessions ended in three-and-outs, the Seahawks merely toyed with the San Francisco defense.
San Francisco 49ers
After years of going up against Marshawn Lynch, the 49ers' defense did not receive any kind of break against Michael. He rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone. He got the Seahawks going with a 41-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead, then added a 4-yard scoring run for a 14-0 lead before the end of the first quarter.
Wilson completed 15 of 23 passes for 243 yards with one touchdown with no interceptions before leaving the game in the third quarter.
Michael finished with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 20 rushing attempts. Wide receiver Doug Baldwin and tight end Jimmy Graham were the main benefactors of Wilson's strong day. Baldwin caught eight passes for 164 yards, while Graham added six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Seattle struck quickly with scoring drives of 75 yards and 73 yards that took 43 seconds and 1:48 respectively. They also showed they could grind it out with a 14-play, 62-yard touchdown drive.
Meanwhile, the 49ers' offense was just a grind. Period.
Running back Carlos Hyde found no room to run, and all Gabbert and the passing game could muster were throws underneath that never created much of a threat to the Seahawks' defense.
Hyde gained 103 yards on 21 rushing attempts. And Gabbert managed to complete 14 passes for 119 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Kelly wins challenge: The 49ers' only points of the first half came after coach Chip Kelly won a challenge of a play on which Seattle tight end Jimmy Graham was originally ruled down by contact.
Referee Jeff Triplette overturned the call, determining that linebacker NaVorro Bowman punched out the ball before Graham was down. Gerald Hodges immediately recovered the ball and started to return it before the play was blown dead.
Hodges' would-be return might have provided the 49ers with their best chance to get into the end zone against the Seahawks. The 49ers were awarded possession at the Seattle 30-yard line.
San Francisco settled for Phil Dawson's 22-yard field goal to cap a five-play, 26-yard drive to cut Seattle's lead to 14-3 in the middle of the second quarter.
Injury report: Cornerback Jimmie Ward sustained a right quadriceps injury on a non-contact play in the second quarter while covering a kickoff. He was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Also, tight end Vance McDonald sustained a hip injury in the first half and did not return to action.
Keith Reaser replaced Ward in the 49ers' base defense at right cornerback, while Garrett Celek took over for McDonald. Celek left the game briefly in the third quarter after taking a big hit in the back from Seattle safety Kam Chancellor after a 2-yard gain.
This ‘n' that
--Outside linebacker Eli Harold's first career sack was nullified when he was penalized for a horse-collar tackle on Wilson in the third quarter. Wilson's knee appeared to bend awkwardly on the play. He left the game briefly, returned for a couple of plays, then departed for good before the end of the third quarter.
--Dawson came up short and wide right on a 53-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter.
--Defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey, who sustained a torn ACL the last time the 49ers played in Seattle, recorded an 11-yard sack of Wilson in the third quarter. It was Dorsey's first sack since Week 4 of the 2013 season.
--The 49ers failed on their first 10 third-down opportunities. The 49ers finally converted on third down when Gabbert hit Torrey Smith for an 11-yard pass on a third-and-3 situation in the fourth quarter. The 49ers entered the game converting 38.7 of their third-down opportunities.
--On one of those failed third downs, 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton bobbled Gabbert's pass on a short crossing route into the hands of Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner for an interception.
--Through three games, Kelly's first season is eerily similar to Jim Tomsula's one and only season. Last year, the 49ers opened with a 20-3 win at home over Minnesota before losing to Pittsburgh (43-18) and Arizona (47-7) on the road. This season, the 49ers opened with a 28-0 home win against the L.A Rams before a 46-27 loss to Carolina in Week 2 before experiencing the thrashing Sunday in Seattle.
