SANTA CLARA, Calif.— Seahawks special-teamer Neiko Thorpe was on the sideline during the first half doing what most of you were probably doing.

He was throwing up in a garbage can.

Seattle trailed 14-3 on Sunday. It had just 8 yards on six carries against the NFL’s worst run defense. The Seahawks had allowed the 49ers to score touchdowns on drives of 75 and 79 yards. The first hours of the new year looked like the Seattle offense from the end of last year.

Then Doug Baldwin made a leadership catch that jolted the offense to life. Jimmy Graham made a leaping catch at the goal line by boxing out his man like the basketball player he was in college. And the Seahawks passed all over 49ers’ team in disarray on the field and off.

Russell Wilson completed 19 of 32 throws for 258 yards before he left mid-drive with 9 minutes left to preserve himself for the postseason. Rookie Trevone Boykin went from looking awful to sealing No. 3 seed in NFC for Seattle with a brilliant drive late. Boykin’s three great throws, two to fellow undrafted rookie Tanner McEvoy, extended the Seahawks’ final drive to save a 25-23 win at half-empty Levi’s Stadium that ended their regular season — and set up the Seahawks for a wild-card playoff game at CenturyLink Field next weekend.

Atlanta’s home win over New Orleans Sunday ensured the Falcons the NFC’s second seed and the Seahawks the three seed. Seattle (10-5-1) blew that No. 2 seed and first-round bye when it lost at home last week to Arizona.

The New York Giants’ 13-10 win at Washington eliminated the Redskins — and means the Seahawks next weekend in the wild-card round will host the loser of Sunday night’s NFC North title game between the Packers and Lions in Detroit.

Doug Baldwin’s two catches left him with 94 to end the regular season. That tied Bobby Engram from 2007 for the most in Seahawks’ history.

The Seahawks came here with three clear objectives for their regular-season finale: don’t get injured; find some semblance of consistency on both offense and defense; get lead runner Thomas Rawls going for the playoffs. Or, at least the running game in general.

Their kick snapper, Nolan Frese, got hurt. Rawls gained just 14 yards on eight carries. But rookie Alex Collins emerged late behind Rawls with 55 yards on seven carries. Still, the running game is a potentially lethal flaw in Seattle’s postseason hopes..

The Seahawks had 11 carries for 20 yards before Collins broke loose late for the best afternoon of his short career — albeit against the worst run defense in the league and a team that finished the season 2-14.

The Seahawks trailed 14-6. Then midway through the second quarter defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin ripped the ball from backup Niners runner DuJuan Harris. End Frank Clark recovered the fumble and returned it to the San Francisco 15. Clark was denied scoring a touchdown by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick rolling his shoulder into Clark’s legs in the open field and tripping him down.

Wilson converted that gift into Seattle’s first touchdown, 11 yards on pass to the right slot to Luke Willson. It Seattle’s first TD in a first half since the win Dec. 15 over Los Angeles, and the Seahawks trailed 14-13.

Nickel back Jeremy Lane then reached around the right side of Niners receiver Jeremy Kerley on third down to knock down a pass. Richard Sherman, back deep on punt returns with Pro Bowl returner Tyler Lockett out for the season with a broken leg, completed a fair catch to give Seattle its next drive start at the 9.

Baldwin then made his key catch.

With the Seahawks scuffling again and needing a big play to get going — or at least off its own goal line — Baldwin sprinted down the left side, leaped and pulled down his 93rd catch of the season. The former undrafted rookie to whom Seattle invested $46 million on a contract extension in the spring held onto the ball while San Francisco rookie cornerback Rashard Robinson grabbed at it. Baldwin would not let go of the ball while falling, injuring Robinson in the process.

That 41-yard gain set up Wilson’s scramble and jump ball to Jimmy Graham down to the 1. The 6-foot-6 former University of Miami power forward boxed out 49ers safety Antoine Bethea for 42 more yards. Rawls ran it in from the 1 to put Seattle up 19-14; Steven Hauschka’s point-after kick was blocked, Seattle sixth missed PAT this season.

The 49ers played after an ESPN report Saturday said coach Chip Kelly was going to fired after just one season and general manager Trent Baalke was getting axed with him.

The Niners’ season was so bad, tight end Je’Ron Hamm left the field on the back of a motorized cart after suffering an apparently serious leg injury—during Sunday’s pregame warmups