49ers get blown out by Seahawks in Week 13, lose 43-16

The San Francisco 49ers looked as if they had no business going on the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, losing 43-16 in a game where the score made it look closer than it actually was.

If the San Francisco 49ers' 27-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week was a low point for head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2018, the Niners' 43-16 embarrassing loss in Seattle to the Seahawks in Week 13 was just about as bad.

Granted, the Seahawks are vastly superior to the Bucs. So it shouldn't have been surprising that the Hawks pulled off this win over a banged-up and mistake-prone 49ers squad.

And that's how things went early. The 49ers managed to force a 3-and-out, defensively, on Seattle's first offensive drive. But a blown coverage on the Niners' second defensive stand eventually led to the Seahawks taking an early 6-0 lead on a touchdown by wide receiver Jaron Brown, who had two scores in the game. A short while later, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson found wide receiver Tyler Lockett for a 52-yard touchdown, who was being covered by linebacker Malcolm Smith:

Yes, a linebacker covering on a deep route with zero safety help over the top. That's a mismatch.

The 49ers didn't help out their cause much either. While it looked like he was down, running back Jeff Wilson fumbled on the Seahawks' 5-yard line. With the ruling on the field being a fumble, there apparently wasn't enough evidence on the field to overturn it. Later in the half, Richie James muffed a punt Seattle recovered. Following penalties to Smith and cornerback K'Waun Williams, the Seahawks added their third first-half touchdown of the game and would carry a 20-3 lead into halftime.

And after giving up an 84-yard return to Tyler Lockett to open the third quarter, the 49ers subsequently allowed Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny to rush in for a 20-yard touchdown to make it 27-3 in favor of Seattle.

The Seahawks totaled 331 yards of offense on the day, compared to the Niners' 452. Russell Wilson accounted for 163 of those yards passing despite tossing a total of just four passes in the first half -- three touchdowns, and two of his four passes going for 45-plus yards. He finished 11-of-17 on the day despite taking three sacks, two of which were from defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who now has nine on the season.

Quarterback Nick Mullens, meanwhile, didn't have quite as much success early. Overall, San Francisco's offensive line was overmatched at the line of scrimmage. Despite the mistakes, Mullens still managed to hook up with wide receiver Dante Pettis at the 11:31 mark of the third quarter for the Niners' first touchdown:

Mullens was 30-of-48 for 414 yards, two touchdowns but a 98-yard pick-six touchdown grabbed by Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers had issues carrying the ball, namely with injuries to running backs Jeff Wilson and Matt Breida. Breida re-aggravated an ankle injury during warm-ups and was held to just five carries for six yards, while adding 51 yards through the air. Wilson also came out with an injury but managed to return, leading all San Francisco ball carriers with 61 yards on the ground and 73 through the air.

Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of the second half, however, was Shanahan getting flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty for some choice words to the officials:

After the Seahawks went up 34-10, Pettis managed to find the end zone again on a 75-yard touchdown to make it 34-16 after the Niners' subsequent two-point conversion failed. Pettis, who returned to the area where he played his college ball, finished with 129 yards on five catches and the two touchdowns -- one of the few bright spots in an otherwise forgettable game. And any slim hopes of a Niners comeback were thwarted by Wagner's interception, returned for a touchdown, which led to the 43-16 final.

The 49ers have now lost nine consecutive regular-season games to the Seahawks, also losing their 10th game of the year and ensuring double-digit losses in each year dating back to 2015.