The Seattle Seahawks ended the playoff hopes of their bitter rivals the San Francisco 49ers with a comeback 17-7 victory at CenturyLink Field.
Both sides had a poor start to the game on offense in the first quarter, but the Seahawks finally managed to get into gear as Russell Wilson completed a crucial third down to Doug Baldwin. The 49ers' defense tightened in the red zone and managed to hold the home side to a field goal.
Jim Harbaugh's side found success in their running game as Carlos Hyde and Gore were able to break through the line with ease. Gore made a huge play for the visitors when he powered through on fourth down to find the endzone and hand his team the lead.
Neither side could add to the scoreline in their final drives as both defenses controlled proceedings. Wilson and Colin Kaepernick were both sacked for big losses, while on the final play of the half the Seahawks quarterback was picked off by Eric Reid.
In the second half, both teams continued to dominate on defense as neither offense was able to get into a rhythm and move the ball effectively.
Just before the end of the third quarter, Seattle managed to find success in their ground game as Marshawn Lynch and Christine Michael powered through to move the hosts inside the five-yard line. Lynch finished the drive with a touchdown run to move his side ahead.
The Seahawks notched their second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter as they benefited from a poor call on personal foul penalty when Wilson was hit on third down. Two plays later the quarterback fired to Paul Richardson in the endzone for a crucial score.
San Francisco tried to rally late in the game, but the Seahawks' defense was on top form as they prevented Kaepernick from advancing into their territory to stake their claim for the number one seed in the NFC conference.
Simon Sinclair
