Seahawks roll past 49ers in noisy Seattle 42-13

[Chieftain]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20121224/DA3BTVIO3.html

Dec 23, 11:53 PM (ET)

By TIM BOOTH

 SEATTLE (AP) - Fueled by its deafening home crowd, the Seattle Seahawks locked up their spot in the postseason Sunday night.

They also reinforced the notion no one in the NFC wants to see them when the playoffs begin, even if they are a wild card.

Russell Wilson threw a career high four touchdown passes to move into second place for most TD passes by a rookie. Marshawn Lynch scored two first-quarter TDs, and the Seahawks blew out the San Francisco 49ers 42-13.

Richard Sherman returned a blocked field goal 90 yards for another touchdown as the Seahawks (10-5) jumped to a 21-0 lead. That only added to an already hyped crowd on a typically cold and rainy December night, with noise echoing off the walls and overhanging roof of CenturyLink Field that might have been heard all the way across Puget Sound.

No one cared about the cold rain. Not with the performance they were seeing on the field. And not with a ticket to the postseason guaranteed thanks to Seattle's first 10-win season since 2007.

Most likely Seattle will be the No. 5 seed in the NFC. There remains a slight chance of winning the NFC West if the Seahawks beat St. Louis in the season finale and Arizona can upset the 49ers in San Francisco.

The Seahawks, 7-0 at home, delayed San Francisco (10-4-1) from celebrating a division title on Seattle's turf. They turned Jim Harbaugh's 49th birthday into a miserable, wet evening.

Whether home or road, the Seahawks are a scary postseason opponent with the way they are playing.

Seattle was the first team since 1950 to score at least 50 points in consecutive weeks thanks to its 58-0 win over Arizona and 50-17 victory against Buffalo. It seemed inconceivable the scoring binge could continue against San Francisco, the best scoring defense in the NFL.

But it did.

Seattle has outscored its last three opponents 150-30.

The 42 points were the most allowed since Harbaugh took over the 49ers, and the most San Francisco yielded since 45 to Atlanta in 2009. It was the perfect way for Pete Carroll to snap a three-game losing streak against his rival.

Lynch finished with 111 yards on 26 carries, his third straight game against the 49ers topping 100 yards. Wilson wasn't asked to do much - other than throw touchdown passes.

He hit Lynch on a 9-yard TD in the first quarter, Anthony McCoy for a 6-yarder late in the first half, and Doug Baldwin on 4 and 6 yard TDs in the second half.

 

[Scottftlc]

Seahawks definitely look tough at home. 

However, if the Redskins win against Dallas, #5-seeded Seattle would play AT #4-seeded Washington in the Wildcard Round**...MUD

BTW...**assuming the 49ers and Seahawks maintain their present equilibrium.

The Seahawks dismantled the Bears in Chicago, 3 weeks ago...and have won their last two on the road.  Of all the potential playoff opponents, Washington and Dallas are the most desirable plums for our smash-mouth west coast style of football ( Hah...you can't imagine how strange it is to say that!)

[Chieftain]

We had our Christmas party here last night, and while the game was on, I only caught bits and pieces up until halftime, but the bits of the Seahawks I did see were fantastic.  I don't make playoff predictions because anything can happen, but the road to the Super Bowl definitely goes through Seattle this year.....

 

[Chieftain]

Figuratively, if not literally...unless SanFran loses this weekend, I don't see where Seattle's vaunted 12th Man will come into play this playoff season (unless both NFC wildcards make the conference championship).

No doubt they are playing well, but I think they are gonna have to do it on the road...MUD

The Seahawks 12th man has always helped them in home games, but in my memory they have never had a quarterback like Russell Wilson.  That kid has an arm like we haven't seen since the Polish Rifle, and he rushes like Jim Brown!  They are playing an excellent technical game of football; completions, yards rushing, first downs, first down conversions, second down conversions, third down conversions, points allowed, and even Defensive points and takeaways.  And once they take the ball away, they usually score a touchdown, not a field goal.  These are all things that point to a very impressive performance in the playoffs, even if they have to do it on the road.

Gonna be a lot of fun to watch this year....

 

[Scottftlc]

The Seahawks are one of those teams that were good (competitive) through the early and middle parts of the year - they are sooo young that they spent much of the year learning their game - the game for that matter - then after losses to inferior teams in Detroit and Miami, they exploded in Chicago against a very good Bears team and are now white hot on offense with Wilson gelling with Rice, Tate and Baldwin...and especially with his Tight Ends.  Now Turbin has joined Lynch as a weapon.  They simply look unstoppable lately.  They need Sherman to win his appeal and they need Rice to get/stay healthy.  It sure wouldn't hurt to have Arizona knock off the 49ers and get a week to rest but no one in the league wants to see them show up on the road either.