Rough second half performance dooms 49ers in 28-21 loss to Seahawks

It was a tale of two halves for the San Francisco 49ers in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday.

After keeping the Seattle Seahawks in check for much of the first half, the San Francisco 49ers watched the Seahawks pull away over the second half, eventually falling by a score of 28-21. The Seahawks produced touchdowns in three consecutive drives in the second half after being locked in a 7-7 tie at halftime and were led by quarterback Russell Wilson, who threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-23 passing.

Jimmy Garoppolo started the game at quarterback for the 49ers and went 14-of-23 for 165 yards, one touchdown and one interception before a calf injury drove him to the sidelines in favor of rookie Trey Lance. Lance finished with 157 yards and two touchdowns on 9-of-18 passing.

First Half

After holding the Seahawks to a three-and-out to start the game, the 49ers got things moving on offense right off the bat with an eight-play, 71-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead on a 21-yard scoring pass from Garoppolo to tight end Ross Dwelley. Garoppolo was 6-of-6 for 70 yards on the drive before sending the ball in Dwelley's direction for his first catch of the season. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky connected on the extra point while kicker Robbie Gould was on the sidelines due to a groin injury.

The Seahawks were held to another three-and-out after the touchdown but got the ball right back five plays later when Garoppolo threw an interception in 49ers territory to cornerback Quandre Diggs. But the 49ers' defense answered the bell by holding the Seahawks to their third straight three-and-out after Wilson was sacked for a seven-yard loss on third down by defensive end Nick Bosa.

The punt was followed by a 9-play, 68-yard drive from the 49ers that moved the ball to the Seahawks' 23-yard line. But the absence of Gould was felt yet again, as the 49ers were held to a field goal attempt that was missed by Wishnowsky from 41 yards out. The 49ers followed the missed field goal by continuing their early domination on defense, holding Seattle to a fourth consecutive three-and-out due in part to a third-down sack from defensive end Dee Ford.

Three combined punts between the two teams followed the missed field goal, then the Seahawks finally got things going on offense on their sixth possession of the game late in the second quarter. The initial first-down of the game for the Seahawks came on a 28-yard completion from Wilson to running back Alex Collins, then Wilson found wide receiver D.K. Metcalf later in the drive for a 28-yard gain to the 49ers' 15-yard line. Wilson and Metcalf connected again two plays later for a 12-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven after a six-play, 80-yard drive.

The 49ers took over at their own 25-yard line with 1:48 remaining in the half after the touchdown, then punted back to the Seahawks after five plays. The Seahawks ran out the clock to end the half, settling for a 7-7 tie at halftime after being dominated for most of the first half. The game was tied at the break despite the 49ers holding a yardage advantage of 219 to 80 through one half of play along with a 12-3 edge in first downs.

Second Half

Lance took over at quarterback for the 49ers to start the second half but wasn't able to generate much offense early on, as the 49ers only produced one first down over his first two possessions. The Seahawks punted on their first possession of the second half, then put together their first third-quarter scoring drive of the season -- a seven-play, 66-yard possession that culminated with a 16-yard touchdown run from Wilson. The drive opened with a 19-yard completion from Wilson to wide receiver Tyler Lockett to put the Seahawks in 49ers territory, and from there the Seahawks chipped away at the 49ers' defense before Wilson ran in for the score.

Disaster struck for the 49ers on the ensuing kickoff when a fumble on the return by Trenton Cannon was recovered by the Seahawks at the 49ers' 14-yard line. The Seahawks capitalized quickly two plays later when Wilson evaded the 49ers' pass rush to find wide receiver Freddie Swain in the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown and a 21-7 lead.

With momentum clearly in the Seahawks' favor, the 49ers needed something big to keep the game from falling out of their reach. They got it on the fourth play of their next possession when Lance connected with wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who was left wide open as a result of busted coverage and easily turned his catch into a 76-yard score. The 49ers were set to attempt a two-point conversion after the touchdown, but a false start penalty by guard Laken Tomlinson led them to line up Wishnowsky for an extra point, which sailed wide left and kept the Seahawks' lead at 21-13.

The Seahawks took over with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter and were able to put themselves back up by two scores when Collins ran in for a touchdown from 14 yards out to cap a 10-play, 81-yard drive. The 49ers were in position to force a punt on a 3rd-and-10 earlier in the drive, but a 23-yard pass interference penalty sent the Seahawks to the 49ers' 18-yard line, and Collins scored two plays later to stretch the Seahawks' lead to 28-13.

The teams traded punts following the touchdown, then the 49ers took over with 9:31 remaining in the fourth quarter and their opportunities to score points starting to run out. Their chances at a comeback took a major hit later in the drive, when on a 4th-and-2 at their own 48-yard line, a run by Samuel fell short of a first down and resulted in a turnover on downs with 6:18 left to play.

The Seahawks punted after a three-and-out, giving the 49ers possession with 4:30 remaining in the game. Lance led the 49ers on a 13-play, 80-yard drive capped off by an 8-yard touchdown reception by Samuel, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion run by Lance to bring the 49ers to within 28-21. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt by Wishnowsky was recovered by the Seahawks, who were able to run out the clock and seal the win.

The 49ers, who fell to 2-2 on the season with the loss, will return to the field one week from today on the road against the 4-0 Arizona Cardinals (4:25 p.m. ET/1:25 p.m. PT, FOX), followed by a bye on October 17. The Seahawks (2-2) will be facing the Los Angeles Rams (3-1) on Thursday night (8:25 p.m. ET/5:25 p.m. PT, FOX).

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