DANNY ONEIL

Sherman’s two interceptions help Seahawks stuff 49ers 19-3

Nov 27, 2014, 8:46 PM | Updated: 10:48 pm

Richard Sherman picked off two Colin Kaepernick passes to lead another dominant defensive effort for the Seahawks in their 19-3 win over the 49ers. (AP)

(AP)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Richard Sherman didn’t decide the game this time.

Seattle’s cornerback punctuated it with an interception that was more like an exclamation point on a victory that was closer than it should have been and more decisive than anyone could have expected.

Seattle 19, San Francisco 3. And it wasn’t that close.

When Sherman picked off Colin Kaepernick midway through the fourth quarter – Sherman’s second interception of the game – it summarized what was Seattle’s signature victory of this season.

The Seahawks didn’t just win on the road against a division rival with an identical record. They didn’t just beat San Francisco on the road for the first time since 2008. Seattle went on the road three days after defeating the division-leading Cardinals at home and laid a similarly unambiguous whupping on the team that has been the Seahawks’ biggest rival for the previous three seasons.

The Seahawks ran over the 49ers, Marshawn Lynch rushing for more than 100 yards for the third time in four games. They threw over the 49ers, Russell Wilson completing a 63-yard pass to Tony Moeaki in the second quarter, which was Seattle’s longest play of the year.

And most tellingly, the Seahawks’ defense choked out a division opponent for the second consecutive week. On Sunday against Arizona, the Cardinals drove inside Seattle’s 30-yard line only once. On Thursday at San Francisco, the 49ers ran only one play inside Seattle’s 20.

It was nothing short of incredible.

The 49ers’ longest pass of the day was for 16 yards. That was to a running back, Carlos Hyde.
San Francisco had 115 yards of total offense at the end of three quarters. Wilson had a passer rating of 129.2 at that point. The 49ers finished with 164 yards of total offense, fewest allowed by Seattle this season. No San Francisco player caught more than three passes, which means that Sherman was one interception away from catching as many passes from Kaepernick in this game as any 49ers player.

Sherman picked off a pass in the first quarter to set up Seattle’s first touchdown, intercepting a ball that Kaepernick was intending for Brandon Lloyd. Sherman didn’t have to move as Lloyd cut his route short.

Sherman’s fourth-quarter interception wasn’t any more difficult, Kaepernick scrambling away from Bobby Wagner when he tried to force a ball to Stevie Johnson. Sherman stepped in front for the interception.

The closest thing to a flaw that could be found in Seattle’s victory was the fact the Seahawks only scored one touchdown in the first half out of three times in which they drove inside San Francisco’s 20.

The 49ers, on the other hand, crossed midfield once in the first half, and only then on the final play of the half when Kaepernick threw to Johnson for a gain of 13, which put the 49ers in the Seahawks’ territory. Barely. They had the ball at Seattle’s 49.

San Francisco never advanced the ball further than the Seahawks’ 21 in the second half.

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Sherman’s two interceptions help Seahawks stuff 49ers 19-3