49ers force Seattle to wait for title
SEATTLE — No one wanted to talk in the Seattle Seahawks locker room. Those who did had anger and frustration in their voices.
The defending NFC champs aren't playing like a playoff team.
"I guess I just feel we're just OK at everything," quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. "We're not real good and dominant at anything, like we used to be."
That point was evident again Thursday night, when second-year quarterback Alex Smith rallied San Francisco for a surprising 24-14 win over the Seahawks, keeping Seattle from clinching its third straight NFC West crown.
The 49ers (6-8) trailed 7-3 heading to the fourth quarter and rarely threatened on offense. That changed in the final 15 minutes, as Smith directed three long touchdown drives, throwing for a pair of scores and running untouched for another.
When Smith jogged untouched for an 18-yard TD with 1:42 left, cold, wet and shocked Seahawks' fans who showed up ready to watch the winning of another division crown, quickly made their way to the exits.
"The boy just became a grown man today, baby," said 49ers running back Frank Gore, who helped his quarterback with 144 yards rushing and a touchdown catch. "There's a lot more to come."
San Francisco snapped a three-game losing streak and swept both games with Seattle.
While Smith's impressive evolution played out in the fourth quarter, Seattle (8-6) was left to ponder a second straight loss to a division opponent, and watch any hopes of a first-round bye in the playoffs flutter away.
The Seahawks need only one more win or a San Francisco loss to win the mediocre NFC West. But the sentiment in Seattle's locker room is that problems need to be corrected immediately.
"This is awful," Bryce Fisher said. "Teams that lose in December, if they're lucky to get into January, lose very early in January."
