Garoppolo steps in for injured Trey Lance to lead 49ers to lopsided 27-7 win over Seahawks

The plot thickened in the ongoing San Francisco 49ers quarterback saga against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, albeit not in a way anyone expected or wanted to see.

Trey Lance opened the game at quarterback for the 49ers, as expected, but his first season as an NFL starter took a turn for the worse when he left the field due to an ankle injury he sustained on a running play late in the first quarter. Jimmy Garoppolo entered the game at quarterback in place of Lance and finished 13-of-21 for 154 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown while leading the 49ers to a 27-7 victory in their home opener at Levi's Stadium.

Garoppolo got the job done despite not participating in training camp or the preseason as he awaited news on his future while the 49ers looked for a team willing to take him in a trade. The Seahawks, meanwhile, stumbled significantly after putting on an inspired performance in a Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos and former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, who shined with 195 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-28 passing against the Broncos, finished with 194 yards and one interception on 24-of-30 passing in the loss on Sunday.

First Half

The 49ers began the game with possession and marched downfield in seven plays to a 1st-and-Goal, highlighted by a 25-yard catch by wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and a 20-yard run by running back Tyrion Davis-Price. But the drive stalled inside the 10, as Davis-Price was knocked for a four-yard loss on first down, then the Seahawks stopped the 49ers at the 5-yard line after a run from Lance and a short pass to running back Jeff Wilson. Kicker Robbie Gould then connected from 20 yards out to give the 49ers a 3-0 lead.

The 49ers held the Seahawks to a punt on six plays following the field goal, then got downfield in a hurry once again courtesy of an electrifying 51-yard run by Deebo Samuel to the Seahawks' 23-yard line. But the complexion of the game, and perhaps the entire 49ers season, changed two plays later when Lance was injured on a short running play and was carted off the field with his right leg in a cast. Garoppolo entered the game and completed a short pass that fell short of a first down, then Gould connected from 33 yards to extend the lead to 6-0.

The Seahawks went nowhere on offense once again on the next possession, punting the ball back to the 49ers after five plays. Then Garoppolo showed he wasn't exactly rusty after missing the preseason by connecting on passes of 11 and 17 yards before finding tight end Ross Dwelley for a 38-yard score and a 13-0 lead.

Seahawks passes started landing in the arms of 49ers defenders following the touchdown, although the 49ers weren't able to turn any of them into points. The first interception came from safety Tashaun Gipson, who set the 49ers up with possession in Seahawks territory after a 14-yard return, but the 49ers wound up turning the back over to the Seahawks on downs.

On the next possession, linebacker Fred Warner made a third-down interception that was wiped out by a pass interference penalty on cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, and eventually the Seahawks moved inside the 49ers' 10-yard line. But the 49ers took the ball back on a trick play gone wrong when a pass from running back DeeJay Dallas was picked off by cornerback Mooney Ward in the end zone, giving possession to the 49ers at their own 7-yard line after a 9-yard return.

The 49ers were forced to a three-and-out after the touchdown, but the turnover fest continued for the Seahawks, who gave the ball back to the 49ers after Dwelley recovered a muffed punt at the Seahawks' 22-yard line. Two completions from Garoppolo moved the ball to the 1-yard line, which was followed by a touchdown run by fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a 20-0 lead.

The Seahawks were left with 1:26 on the clock to find some points before halftime, but their possession ended inside 49ers territory after eight plays. The 49ers closed the half with a total yardage edge of 259 to 135 with 123 yards on the ground, while Garoppolo finished 8-of-11 for 106 yards and one touchdown.

Second Half

The 49ers looked to be on the verge of putting the game away early in the second half, but as they found out after blowing a 10-point second half lead in their Week 1 loss to the Chicago Bears, momentum can change on the drop of a hat in the NFL. The Seahawks opened the half with a three-and-out, then gave up a 12-play drive that saw the 49ers move the ball inside the Seahawks' 10-yard line. The 49ers couldn't get the ball in the end zone after having a 1st-and-Goal at the Seahawks' 8-yard line, which forced them to settle for a 20-yard field goal attempt from Gould. But Gould's kick was blocked by rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen and scooped up by cornerback Mike Jackson, who ran 86 yards for a touchdown to cut the 49ers' lead to 20-7.

But after making some ugly second-half mistakes that led to the loss to Chicago, the 49ers defense did their part in avoiding a repeat against the Seahawks. After being forced to punt on the next possession, the 49ers held the Seahawks to a three-and-out, then had another opportunity after the Seahawks forced a second consecutive punt of their own. The Seahawks took over with just over 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter but found little room on offense and punted back to the 49ers after a third down sack from defensive ends Nick Bosa and Drake Jackson.

The 49ers took over at their own 37-yard line with nine minutes left in the game and were able to put together a lengthy drive that ate up much of the remaining game clock and all three of the Seahawks' timeouts. After a third-down pass interference call on Jackson gave the 49ers a 1st-and-Goal with just over three minutes left to play, Garoppolo ran in from one yard out on a fourth down play to cap a 13-play drive and put the 49ers up 27-7 with less than two minutes remaining.

The Seahawks ran seven plays before time expired but were only able to advance to the 49ers' 44-yard line, leaving the score at 27-7 to end the game. The 49ers wound up keeping the Seahawks' offense off the scoreboard and limited them to 216 total yards, with just 35 of those coming on the ground. The 49ers offense finished with 189 yards rushing and 373 total yards.

Next up: The 49ers (1-1) will have a rendezvous of their own with Wilson next week when they travel to Denver to face the Broncos on Sunday night (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). The Seahawks (1-1) will be at home next Sunday for an afternoon game against the 0-2 Atlanta Falcons (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX).

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