San Francisco 49ers Adjust At Halftime To Take The Win Over The Seattle Seahawks 13-6

October 18, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith (99) encourages fans to cheer against the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

After the Seattle Seahawks gained 125 yards on their first two drives of the first quarter, that resulted in only 6 points, the San Francisco 49ers took over the game defensively. Wilson ended the game completing only 9 of 22 pass for 122 yards after the promising start, one that was manged by dropped passed by his receivers (although 16 of those yards were handed to him by the declined penalty at the end of the game), but threw a costly interception in the second half. Alex Smith did not look much better in the first half of the game, but ended the night going 14 of 23 for 140, including the only passing touchdown of the contest.

We all knew that it would be a defensive battle, but the real difference in the game was the ability of the San Francisco 49ers to run on the Seattle Seahawks. The 9ers were completely dominated by the Seattle defense after the opening drive, forcing Alex Smith to try to run the offense with his arm. However after some brilliant halftime adjustments, the 49ers started handing and throwing short to Frank Gore, who took 16 carries for 131 yards, good for 8.6 yards per carry, which was the first time that Seattle had allowed a 100+ yard rusher in a game this season. Gore also was the leading receiver, catching 5 passes for 51 yards.

At the end of the game the Seahawks had a late try to drive against the 49ers, but continued their putrid streak on not converting on 3rd and Long, a statistic in which they have converted only 1 of 19 attempts this season. After the punt, they were able to stop the 49ers but ran the 2-minute drill as poorly as any team this season, including the Dallas Cowboys. After starting with a completion to the outside, Russell Wilson  took a costly sack on 2nd and medium. The sack was followed by penalties on both 3rd and 4th down. The first was a holding call on the rushing Smith from the left side of the line, but the latter was termed a “chop block” in the endzone, resulting in a safety. Oddly enough, the 9ers elected to decline the safety call, taking the ball on the turnover of downs and kneeling out the clock.

This win will thrust the San Francisco 49ers back to the top of the NFC West, with the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams still to play on Sunday. If both teams win their games, Seattle could drop from their three-way tie for the top spot in the division, to dead last in the division in a matter of days. The Seahawks, while manning a 4-3 record, are now 0-3 in the NFC West. The 49ers, on the other hand, are 5-2 overall, winning their first divisional matchup tonight, and are only team on par with the St. Louis Rams with a perfect record against division opponents.