Needless to say, there's a lot on the line for the San Francisco 49ers in their Week 17 road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
A Niners win would secure both the NFC West and top seed in the conference, plus all the benefits coming with it. A loss, however, would propel San Francisco down to the No. 5 seed and a much longer road through the postseason.
On top of all that, the 49ers haven't won in Seattle since December of 2011. And to buck that trend, they'll have to protect and expand their 13-0 first-half lead over the Seahawks.
San Francisco, wearing its 1994 throwback road uniforms, kicked off first. After a holding call against the Niners, the defense managed to force Seattle to punt on its opening possession. The Niners were able to work into Seahawks territory, where they settled for a 47-yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould after quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo took a 10-yard sack -- the second on the 49ers' opening drive.
The Niners welcomed back an old foe, running back Marshawn Lynch, who received a raucous ovation when he first took the field, then again on his first carry which went four yards. Overall, however, the Seahawks' leading rusher in the first half was running back Travis Homer, who had 20 total yards on five carries.
While Seattle struggled to get its rushing offense going, the 49ers were able to move back into Seahawks territory again on their second drive. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was a huge factor on the play, first hauling in a 30-yard catch-and-run grab to move then chains, then finding the end zone on a 30-yard end-around rush with a key block from fullback Kyle Juszczyk, which put San Francisco up 10-0:
We'll say it again.
30 yards for @19problemz and the TOUCHDOWN! 🙌#GoNiners pic.twitter.com/BsocTptB8g
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 30, 2019
Meanwhile, the 49ers defense stifled quarterback Russell Wilson over the first half, holding him to just 55 yards passing and sacking him once. In contrast, the Niners were able to put up 222 all-purpose first-half yards.
The Niners tacked on another field goal with 5:44 remaining in the second quarter to go up 13-0. The drive stalled when Samuel appeared to cross the first-down marker, only to have the ball jarred loose. He recovered, but the spot was 1 yard short of the down marker.
Seattle managed to finally drive deeper into Niners territory following the field goal with time running down in the half. Facing a 4th-and-inches on the 49ers 31-yard line, Lynch got the carry but was tackled for no gain, turning the ball over on downs.
San Francisco will receive the opening kickoff of the second half.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
