It was what everyone expected. The San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks played four quarters of smash-mouth football, with neither team relenting more than a few yards at a time. But the Niners came out of this fight victorious, 13-6, separating themselves from their up-and-coming division rivals in the process.
Seahawks vs. 49ers final score: San Francisco pulls out gritty 13-6 win over Seattle
The 49ers won a defensive struggle as their offense was able to get the one touchdown needed to pull out the win.
Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE
With two of the top three defenses in the NFL facing off, it would come down to which offense could put up just enough points to give their defense enough wiggle room to do their thing.
The Niners were able to find a way to get running back Frank Gore 131 yards on 16 carries and quarterback Alex Smith had an efficient 140 yards on 14-of-23 passing with a touchdown and an interception.
That touchdown came on a 12-yard pass to Delanie Walker with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter. It would be the only touchdown scored in the game.
The Niners' suffocating pass defense limited Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson to just 122 yards on 9-for-23 passing and an interception. The Seahawks' lone offensive bright spot was running back Marshawn Lynch's 103 yards on 19 carries.
The Niners improved to 5-2 on the year and took over sole possession of first place in the NFC West, while the Seahawks fell to 4-3.
Fantasy studs/duds: It would have made sense to sit both Gore and Lynch if you had them on your team, but they both were still able to get 100+ yards apiece. Even though they didn’t get in the endzone, those are pretty big numbers when you consider the level of defense played in this contest. Meanwhile, Wilson and Smith’s numbers were putrid overall and starting any of the Seahawks or Niners receivers would have been a devastating blow to a fantasy team.
Odds/gambling (did they cover the spread?): They would have. But the Niners declined a late game safety that would have given them a 15-6 lead in order to instead run out the clock. The Niners were 7.5-point favorites going in and would have covered had they taken the two points.
Injury updates: Gore left late in the 4th quarter wincing in pain. No word yet on his condition.
For more on this game: Visit Field Gulls for Seahawks fans and Niners Nation for 49ers fans.
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