Bob Condotta The Seattle Times
Just when the Seahawks were on the verge of somehow stealing back a game they had already appeared to have given away, they handed it right back.
And of all teams, it was to the San Francisco 49ers in a season opener that began with high hopes and ended with a few too many questions in a 17-13 defeat at Lumen Field.
“You’re waiting all offseason to play these guys and to take it to them, lamented safety Julian Love. “For them to come out on top is a tough pill to swallow.”
Still, after having done little much of the day and somehow trailing by just four, the Seahawks offense used a 40-yard pass from Sam Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba to move to the 49ers’ 9-yard line with 1:02 left, a happy opening day still in reach.
But on second down, as Darnold wound up to pass, the ball hit the back of right tackle Abraham Lucas, who was pushed back because of a hard rush from 49ers standout pass rusher Nick Bosa.
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"It came out off somebody," Darnold said. "I don't know who it was or what. I think it was off one of our offensive linemen's back. But it didn't slip out or anything like that."
Before either Darnold or Lucas knew what happened Bosa jumped on the ball, recovering not only a fumble but sealing the win.
"Yeah, man, that’s a killer ending of that game," Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp said. “Just makes you sick. We’re right there. (But) we shouldn’t have been in that position if we make the plays that we expect to make and we’re not there (having to come back at the end). So a killer way for it to end."
Bosa got credit for a sack, the only one of the day for the 49ers.
“It's unfortunate when things happen," Lucas said. “It is part of the game, and I'm not trying to cover my ass or anything like that, but I’ve just got to be better.”
The Seahawks could feel that way about a number of aspects.
They were outgained 384-230 and held the ball for just 22 minutes and 2 seconds, which made it seem somewhat of a miracle they were 9 yards away from snatching the win away in the first place.
Only a gutty Seahawks defensive effort that held the 49ers out of the end zone on three drives inside the 20, and shaky San Francisco kicker Jake Moody, who missed a 27-yarder and saw a 36-yarder blocked by Love, kept them in it to the end.
“Obviously very disappointed about the outcome," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “But got to look at the process as well. I think our guys played incredibly hard, played all 60 minutes, gave ourselves a chance to win at the end."
Two Brock Purdy interceptions and the two missed field goals meant the Seahawks needed just one more defensive stand to win the game when the 49ers got the ball back at their own 32 with 3:19 left.
The Seahawks had taken the lead on the possession before when a Josh Jobe interception set up a 37-yard field goal by Jason Myers that put the Seahawks ahead 13-10 with 3:24 left.
Kupp picked up 6 yards on a third-and-seven pass to the San Francisco 19 which had Macdonald thinking briefly about going for it on fourth down to try to get a TD that could seal the win.
“We did (consider it)," Macdonald said. “I just felt like. ‘Let's go take a lead and let's go play ball.’"
Kupp lamented later not doing enough to get the 1 more yard.
“I didn’t do a good job of being able to get that first down for us," Kupp said.
Still, a mistake-prone 49ers team needed to make one more for the Seahawks to get the win.
Instead, on second-and-nine from the 33, 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall used a double-move to get a step behind cornerback Riq Woolen.
As the ball floated to Pearsall down the sideline, Woolen briefly appeared in position to bat the ball away before he slowed up for just a second, allowing it to fall into Pearsall’s hands.
“Guy made a great play,’’ Macdonald said. “Seems like Riq might have lost it there down the field.’’
Said Pearsall: “I just felt him coming up. The entire game, he liked to play back in. That’s what we knew when we were watching film. On the sideline we were just talking about it: ‘We need to go deep one time. We need to hit something like that.’"
A pass over the middle to Christian McCaffrey took it to the 4-yard line with 1:44 left.
On the next play, on third-and-three at the four, Purdy raced out of pressure to his right and after stopping to look for a receiver once, continued to roll to the sideline where he threw in the direction of 49ers tight end Jake Tonges in traffic.
Tonges reached to snare the ball just out of Woolen's hands for an improbable TD that gave the 49ers a 17-13 lead with 1:34 remaining.
“We played the first 9.9 of that 10-second play at the end phenomenally," Macdonald said. “The guy made a great play."
Said Purdy: “Yeah, I knew (Jake) Tonges was going to come down with it. … I felt like the coverage was tight (initially). At that point I felt like I needed to leave the pocket, try to find a guy in the end zone. As I'm going away, put it hopefully to where Tonges can get it or nobody can get it. It was a close call, but he used his length, came down with it."
Still, the Darnold-to-JSN play gave the Seahawks hope until the fumble dashed it.
It was the seventh time in eight games the 49ers have beaten the Seahawks and fourth straight in Seattle. It also continued last year's home struggles, where the Seahawks were 3-6.
It was the reverse scenario of the Seahawks' 20-17 win over the 49ers last November when Geno Smith was able to scramble for the winning TD in the final seconds — with Bosa injured and forced to watch on the sideline.
It also means the Seahawks already feel some urgency after just one week.
They had hoped the way they ran the ball in the preseason showed the new outside zone scheme would revive the running game. Instead, it looked as feeble as a year ago, with 84 yards on 26 carries for an average of 3.2 per attempt.
That played a key in going just 3 of 10 on third downs.
“Yeah, hot and cold,’’ Macdonald said of the running game. “We’ve got to maintain the ball better and be more efficient on early downs, convert more on third down.’’
And for all the good the Seahawks defense did, the 49ers gained 219 yards in the second half, averaging 5.8 per play.
Love said he thought the defense wore down some, “like a mental stamina thing, he said.
Macdonald vows the loss will serve as just a bump in the road.
“I think we have a really good football team and we're not there yet, so let's go work, figure out things we can do better, and move forward, which we will,’’ Macdonald said. “We're a good team now. We're only going to get better. So the guys will respond and let's go have a great week and go to Pittsburgh.’’
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