The second quarter for Seattle was far worse
The Hawks tightened up on defense in the second quarter and picked up some positive yards on offense. Unfortunately, the second stanza played out far worse than the first. The 49ers began the quarter with a third and seven at the Seahawks 16-yard line, continuing their drive from the first. Bobby Wagner sacked Niners QB Brock Purdy, but an illegal contact penalty on Tre Brown gave San Francisco a fresh set of downs. The game may have gone differently if the Niners came away with just three points on the drive, instead of seven.
Instead, Christian McCaffrey scored a few plays later and the Hawks trailed, 14-3. Geno Smith was intercepted on Seattle's second play of the ensuing drive. Game over, right 12s? Well, it was, but not just yet. Again, the Seattle defense stiffened after allowing a pair of big plays by Deebo Samuel. They pushed San Francisco back on the final series of downs on that drive and the 49ers were forced to punt. After the teams exchanged punts again, the Niners scored their third touchdown of the game. The rout wasn't quite on, not just yet.
After the Seattle offense sputtered again, the defense came up big once more. It's easy to forget, as they allowed so many yards, but the Seahawks' defense did come up with another three-and-out on the series. That good news was short-lived, as Deejay Dallas muffed the punt and gave the Niners the ball at the Hawks 22-yard line. The fact Seattle escaped that sequence allowing just three points is something of a minor miracle. So while I can't exactly say the Seahawks' defense played well in the first half, the score could have been much, much worse. And that's good news, of a sort.