SEATTLE — This might not have been the feel-good win the Seahawks were hoping for following the opening-week disappointment at Green Bay.
But it was better than what appeared to be happening when the 49ers — a 13-point underdog who have won just two games since the 2015 season — kicked a field goal to the lead early in the fourth quarter.
With disaster staring them in the face, the Seahawks rallied to mount an 82-yard drive to score their first touchdown of the season and used their defense and running game to hold on for a 12-9 win in front of a rain-soaked crowd at CenturyLink Field.
The 49ers took a 9-6 lead with 11:36 remaining on a 34-yard field goal by Robbie Gould, capping off a 10-play, 54-yard drive done mostly on the ground. And the kind of grumbles, rare during the Pete Carroll era, could be heard throughout the stadium.
At that point, the Seahawks had just 209 yards of offense.
But the offense came to life with Russell Wilson helping orchestrate a game-saving drive 10-play, 82-yard drive.
Wilson ran four times for 27 yards on the drive, which was also aided by a 20-yard pass interference penalty on San Francisco’s Dontae Johnson drawn by rookie Amara Darboh.
Wilson capped the drive with a 9-yard TD to Paul Richardson with 7:06 left for what proved to be the winning score — and Seattle’s first touchdown in seven-and-a-half quarters this season, officially 112 minutes and 54 seconds.
The TD also came with help from Wilson’s legs as on third and seven at the 9, he evaded a rush from Arik Armstead and threw to Richardson as he was being tackled by DeForest Buckner. As he was falling to the ground, Wilson got the pass off to Richardson who caught it in the front corner of the end zone.
Fittingly on a day when the Seahawks walked a tightrope throughout, Blair Walsh’s point after went off the upright.
But the defense forced a three-and-out and when Seattle got the ball back, it used some tough running from rookie Chris Carson — who had 93 yards on 20 carries — to run out the final 4:47 and seal the win.
An inartful first half ended in a 6-6 tie.
The Seahawks kicked two field goals in the first quarter, both coming after drives stalled when Seattle got to the 7-yard-line.
The second drive followed an interception by Bobby Wagner that gave Seattle the ball at the 39.
The first followed a game-opening 16-play, 68-yard drive in which the Seahawks converted two third downs and a fourth down.
But each time a dropped pass helped force a field goal. On the first drive, C.J. Prosise dropped a pass near the goal line on second down.
On the second drive, Tanner McEvoy let a pass slip out of his hands as he leapt backward in the end zone.
The 49ers responded with two field goals in the final 1:55 of the first half, each set up by long Carlos Hyde runs.
Hyde first cut back and broke away for a 61-yard run to get the 49ers to the Seattle 22. The second time a 27-yard Hyde run, and a face mask penalty on Cliff Avril, got the 49ers close.
But each time Seattle’s defense held and forced field goals.
Hyde had 102 yards on seven carries to account for almost all of San Francisco’s first-half offense.
While Seattle wanted to establish the running game early, they had little choice but to resort to the pass with the Seahawks’ tailbacks combining for just 26 yards on 14 carries in the first half.
Wilson threw 25 passes in the first half completing 16 for 137 yards.
Seattle ran 45 plays in the first half after getting just 48 the previous week at Green Bay.
But the Seahawks averaged just 3.7 yards per play in the first half.
The task gets no easier for Seattle as it plays next week at Tennessee. But the Seahawks can at least go there at 1-1 instead of an 0-2 hole that would have only raised the howls of wonder about where things are headed.
