After a brutal momentum-shifting fumble, the Seahawks are down the 49ers at halftime.

 In their game against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, the Seattle Seahawks showed signs of life late in the first half, but they missed a chance to take the lead.

Seattle Seahawks #7 Geno Smith holds the ball during a play during the opening period of their game against the Carolina Panthers at Lumen Field on December 11, 2022 in Seattle, Washington.

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In Week 2, the Seattle Seahawks lost to the San Francisco 49ers 27-7, and it was perhaps their worst performance of the year.

In a crucial late-season division game against the Niners on Thursday night at Lumen Field, Seattle had a chance to make up for these mistakes.

The Niners built a 14-3 lead going into halftime despite the Seattle offence showing signs of life late in the first half following early problems. This was due to a costly turnover by Seahawks running back Travis Homer.

Kenneth Walker III, a rookie running back from Seattle, didn't have much of an immediate impact for the Seahawks' struggling rushing assault against the greatest running defence in the league

The Seahawks attempted to start this phase of the offence early but were instead forced to play from behind the chains, suffering as a result. On three of its first four possessions, Seattle was three-and-out for a total of 11 yards.

A nine-play, 86-yard drive toward the end of the first quarter that included seven touches from 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and ended with rookie quarterback Brock Purdy fooling the entire crowd with two pass fakes before connecting with tight end George Kittle for a 28-yard touchdown to give the Niners a 7-0 lead showed the 49ers' inconsistency early on. They had two three-and-outs of their own heading into the second quarter.

Midway in the second quarter, receiver DK Metcalf ignited the offence with back-to-back catches of 13 yards, giving the Seahawks their first signs of life. Once Seattle fell behind the chains once more, the two big plays appeared to be for nothing, but quarterback Geno Smith fought his way to a tough 18-yard gain on third and 13.

In the end, the Niners' defence held up to force Jason Myers to kick a 38-yard field goal, bringing the score to 7-3. However, the Seahawks were happy to accept just three points given how much of the first half had been dominated by their offence.

https://sports.yahoo.com/cowboys-star-lb-parsons-stokes-001405823.html

Zach Dimmitt may be followed on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7.

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