The San Francisco 49ers' playoff hopes are on life support after a listless 19-3 defeat at home to the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving.
As a team, San Francisco had 164 yards of total offense. Colin Kaepernick will almost certainly come under heavy criticism. He was 16-of-29 for for 121 yards and two interceptions. Kaepernick will be happy to see the backs of the Seahawks secondary, per ESPN Stats & Info:
This is the 2nd time in Colin Kaepernick's career with multiple interceptions & 0 Pass TD. The other? Also vs Seahawks (2013 Week 2).
- ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 28, 2014
Seattle's cornerback duo of Byron Maxwell and Richard Sherman shone brightly, per Sunday Night Football:
The Seahawks secondary tonight #SNF http://ift.tt/1rwPDor
- SundayNight Football (@SNFonNBC) November 28, 2014
Sherman had two interceptions in the victory. After his second, he made sure to have some fun with the Santa Clara crowd:
.@RSherman_25 tells the 49er fans 'SHHHHH' http://ift.tt/1rwPBNt
- SundayNight Football (@SNFonNBC) November 28, 2014
49ers CEO Jed York didn't take the loss lightly, tweeting out his disgust after the game:
Thank you #49ersfaithful for coming out strong tonight. This performance wasn't acceptable. I apologize for that
- Jed York (@JedYork) November 28, 2014
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News thought that that may foreshadow future personnel moves for the team:
The last time Jed York offered up words like that, Mike Singletary wasn't the head coach much longer. Not saying this is exactly the same...
- Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) November 28, 2014
In the battle between Kaepernick and Russell Wilson, it wasn't even close. Wilson was an efficient 15-of-22 for 236 yards and a touchdown. He added 35 yards on the ground. Marshawn Lynch was also a steady presence, getting 104 yards on 20 carries.
One of the storylines coming into the game focused on the last time the 49ers and Seahawks met. Seattle beat San Francisco 23-17 in the NFC Conference Championship, with Sherman knocking away a Kaepernick pass that was subsequently intercepted by Malcolm Smith.
The turnover sealed the victory for the Seahawks and caused Sherman to go on his now-famous post-game rant about Michael Crabtree.
Reporters asked Kaepernick about that play in the days leading up to Thursday, with the San Francisco QB refusing to fan the flames.
'It's in the past,' he said, per CBS Sacramento. 'I'm worried about what we're doing.'
Sure enough, Sherman was once again a thorn in Kaepernick's side, intercepting the 49ers QB in the first quarter on Thursday. Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was already looking forward to Sherman's interview after the game:
I CANNOT WAIT FOR RICHARD SHERMAN'S POSTGAME
- Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) November 28, 2014
The Seahawks corner now has 22 picks since 2011, which is tops in the league:
With Richard Sherman's interception tonight -- he has 22 Int since entering the NFL in 2011, 7 more than any player in that span.
- ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 28, 2014
Seattle also entered the game 2-0 against San Francisco when Sherman has an interception, so the turnover was a good sign for the Seahawks' fortunes:
The Seahawks are 2-0 against the 49ers when Richard Sherman has an interception. They're 0-4 when he doesn't.
- ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 28, 2014
They made the most of the pick, with Wilson finding Robert Turbin for a 13-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead with 1:29 left in the first quarter.
The 49ers nearly dug themselves into a 14-0 hole after Wilson completed a 63-yard pass to tight end Tony Moeaki, who got the ball down to the San Francisco 1-yard line. The Seahawks QB deftly avoided the 49ers pass rush, somehow scrambling around until he found a wide open Moeaki. He looked to have a clear path to the end zone only to be brought down at the goal line.
After that piece of seemingly super-human ability, Ray Ratto of CSNBayArea.com wondered if Wilson might actually be a mutant:
Russell Wilson made the final cut as an actual X-Man.
- Ray Ratto (@RattoCSN) November 28, 2014
Alas, Seattle's questionable play-calling meant that the Seahawks settled for a field goal on the drive. Pete Carroll called two pass plays, with Wilson getting sacked on the first and throwing an incomplete pass on the second.
ESPN.com's Jim Trotter wondered why Seattle didn't just run the ball when it had a back like Lynch:
Why do coaches make the game harder than it has to be? Why not give it to Marshawn three straight times from the 1?
- Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) November 28, 2014
Still, a 10-0 lead was better than nothing, and the Seahawks tacked on another Steven Hauschka field goal as its advantage swelled to 13-0 with 5:40 to go until halftime.
That's how the score remained as the team's headed into the locker room, with the San Francisco offense struggling to move the ball against the Seahawks defense.
Last week, Seattle beat the Arizona Cardinals 19-3, giving up 204 total yards in the process. It was a performance reminiscent of last year's Super Bowl team.
On Thursday, the Seahawks once again illustrated how devastating their defense could be. Sky Sports NFL tweeted out a photo listing the 49ers' first-half drives, and it didn't make for a pretty picture:
Rough half for the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle lead 13 - 0 at the half. #SkyThanksgiving http://t.co/obzqxoSt2A http://ift.tt/1xP1ye7
- SkySportsNFL (@SkySportsNFL) November 28, 2014
In total, the home team had 71 total first-half yards:
The 1st half wasn't very kind to the 49ers #SNF http://ift.tt/1rwPBNA
- SundayNight Football (@SNFonNBC) November 28, 2014
One play in particular summed up San Francisco's night.
In the second quarter, the 49ers held Seattle to a three-and-out, forcing Seahawks punter Jon Ryan on the field. Ryan dropped the snap but somehow maneuvered around and got his punt off. As if missing an opportunity like that wasn't bad enough, Niners return man Perrish Cox fumbled the ball, with Seattle's O'Brien Schofield recovering.
Seahawks WR Ricardo Lockette hits 49ers CB Perrish Cox and forces a fumble during the second quarter @jlokseattle http://ift.tt/1xP1ACL
- Seattle Times Photo (@SeaTimesPhoto) November 28, 2014
Hauschka nailed two more field goals in the second half, with Phil Dawson providing San Francisco's only score of the game on a 40-yard field goal with 1:06 in the third quarter.
With the defeat, the Niners fall 2.5 games back of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. In order to win the division, San Francisco would have to catch both the Cardinals and now the Seahawks. That will be hard to do over four games, so the 49ers' best chance for the postseason might be the Wild Card.
Seattle moves to within 1.5 games of Arizona and also jumps into the top Wild Card spot in the NFC on a tiebreaker with the Cowboys and Detroit Lions. Thursday night illustrated how good the Seahawks can be at their best. The offense doesn't have to be gaudy when the defense is that dominant.
Going on the road and winning in Santa Clara is a major statement as Seattle heads into the final stretch of the regular season.
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