Carlos Dunlap, Seahawks defense beats 49ers after offense wouldn’t in 30-23 stunner

SEATTLE — Russell Wilson hugged everyone on the field, friends and foes.

Pete Carroll looked relieved as much as joyed.

Half the Seattle stadium was roaring. The other half—holding 49ers fans who bought the season tickets of Seahawks fans who have given up on their team’s lost season—was stunned.

The Seahawks’ defense did it. Because their offense wouldn’t.

>> PHOTOS: Seahawks vs. 49ers on Dec. 5, 2021

The 49ers drove from their own 2-yard line, after another Seattle turnover at the goal line, to the Seahawks 3 in the final minute. On third down with 27 seconds to go, former University of Washington cornerback Sidney Jones broke up 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s pass into the end zone to wide receiver Trent Sherfield.

On fourth down, with 21 seconds left, previously mothballed veteran defensive end Carlos Dunlap leaped to bat down Garoppolo’s pass before it had a chance to send Seattle to another crushing loss.

Instead, Dunlap’s bat sent the Seahawks (4-8) to only their second win in two months, 30-23 over previously rolling San Francisco (6-6) at conflicted Lumen Field Sunday.

This game had everything but Santa Claus running for a score.

And Santa was dancing on the field, at halftime.

With 5 minutes left and the Seahawks poised for the clinching score, Gerald Everett lost the ball on a turnover at the goal line for the second time in the second half.

The first was a bobbled pass he turned into a 49ers interception, Russell Wilson’s fourth interception into the end zone in four games since he returned from surgery on his throwing hand.

Wilson had his best game since his return: 30 for 37 passing for 231 yards, two touchdowns and that interception that wasn’t his fault.

Everett’s second giveaway was a fumble on a third-down shovel pass from Wilson. San Francisco recovered at the 2 with 5 minutes left, to remain down only 30-23.

The Seahawks offense has had the ball at the San Francisco: 28-yard line; the 31; the 25; the 5 and the 1.

Seattle’s total points on that five possessions: zero points.

Backup running back Travis Homer, questionable to play because of more leg injuries, had the longest gain from scrimmage this season — on a fake punt that’s as rare under Pete Carroll as black shoes.

After the Seahawks typically went three and out on offense to begin the game, Homer took the direct punt snap from Tyler Ott as the blocking back in front of Michael Dickson and ran 73 yards past stunned 49ers for the game’s first score.

Future Hall-of-Fame running back Adrian Peterson’s debuted with a historic touchdown days after signing with Seattle.

Tyler Lockett looked to be out for the game, sitting in the end zone with an apparent leg injury trying to reach an overthrown pass in the second quarter. A team doctor helped slowly walk off the field into a blue observation tent behind the bench.

Then in the third quarter Lockett reappeared to make a ridiculous catch look over one shoulder then his other while Wilson’s lofted pass was inbound in the end zone. Lockett’s exquisite display of coordination with a defender all over him gave Seattle its first, improbable lead, 30-23.

The Seahawks had that lead despite having the ball before that at the San Francisco 28-yard line, its 25 and its 31 — and netting exactly zero points out of those three golden chances.

The 49ers had an illegal snap in shotgun formation nullify a fourth-down play.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Niners thought they had an interception on a batted pass thrown by Wilson as he got crunched from the side by a pass rusher. One official ruled interception in Seahawks territory. A side official ruled incomplete. Referee Alex Kemp announced the interception, then changed his ruling a few second later.

Instead of the 49ers in prime territory to tie the game, Michael Dickson, Seattle’s best play most consistently this lost season, boomed another of his clutch punts 54 yards to the San Francisco 8 with 12 minutes left.

On that drive, Garoppolo threw on third down to Brandon Aiyuk for what would have been a first down near midfield with 11 minutes left. But right cornerback D.J. Reed peeled back and smacked the wide receiver in the back, jarring the ball loose at the ground.

The Niners rushed to the line of scrimmage trying to run the next play. Pete Carroll uncorked perhaps his best throw of a challenge flag of his 12 years as Seahawks coach, from the sideline to about the yard-line numbers. He won that replay challenge, and San Francisco punted still down 30-23.

OFFENSE FACE-PLANTS. AGAIN.

How bad was it for Wilson and the Seahawks’ woeful offense?

They had a second and 43, a third and 32 and a third and 24.

And that was just in the first quarter.

Bobby Wagner had one of the easiest interceptions of his 10-year career, stepping into the route of a slant pass over the middle to pick off Garoppolo. He set up Wilson and the offense at San Francisco’s 28-yard line, poised for the lead in the first quarter.

Then tight end Will Dissly was penalized for holding on the left edge while Rashaad Penny ran 2 yards around him on a first-down sweep.

On second down, Wilson was hit by a free rusher off the right edge. The blow caused him to fumble, and was so hard the ball went to the otehr side of midfield. Center Ethan Pocic recovered the fumble for 11 more lost yards.

It was second and 43.

Runs by Penny for 11 yards and Wilson scrambling for 12 more put Jason Myers in position for a 56-yard field goal.

It was short and wide right.

PETERSON’S DEBUT

Peterson’s Seahawks career started the way the team’s other running backs have gone most of this season. Backward.

His first carry went for a loss of 5 yards. Pocic got beaten decisively off the snap and his man dumped Peterson, who had no chance.

His second carry, Peterson had room behind three tight ends lined up right to gain the first down. But he lost the ball for a fumble just after Wilson handed it to him. Pocic recovered for a loss of 1 yard instead of the first down.

Midway through the second quarter, Peterson dragged multiple 49ers across the line to gain for 4 yards and a first down. Left tackle Duane Brown and wide receiver Penny Hart helped him of the ground.. Hart gave Peterson a hearty pat on his backside.

A pass-interference penalty on 49ers fill-in cornerback Deommodore Lenoir in the back of the end zone, when Wilson threw late from the 4 to Freddie Swain, gave Seattle first down at the 2. Peterson got the ball and outran the 49ers around the left end to the goal line for the touchdown.

Fullback Nick Bellore did a leaping chest bump with Peterson in the end zone. Brown and him shared a roar over Peterson’s 126th career touchdown. That ties him for 10th all-time with Jim Brown. Peterson passed Walter Payton with the score.

It was Peterson’s 120th rushing touchdown. Only four players have scored 120 or more rushing TDs in NFL history: Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, Marcus Allen and now Peterson.

Despite being out-gained 124-7 on plays that weren’t fake punts into the second quarter, Seattle trailed only 17-14.

He’s not going to get to Jerry Rice’s touchdown record of 207. But he could get into the top 10 all-time in total yards. At 17,376 Peterson is 54 yards from Curtis Martin for 10th place.

Peterson is fifth all-time in rushing yards, with 14,902. He’s 367 yards behind Barry Sanders for fourth.

27 carries in three games for TEN last month.

HOMER’S HOME-RUN OF A DAY

ESKRIDGE’S FIRST SCORE

Rookie Dee Eskridge had his two biggest plays yet to keep the Seahawks in the game into the third quarter.

On third down with no time outs remaining in the first half, Eskridge caught Wilson’s pass and had the awareness to quick get out of bounds with 26 seconds left for an 11-yard gain.

With 18 seconds left in the half, Eskridge caught Wilson’s pass from the 7-yard line to the 2. Then he lowered his up-field shoulder and bulled through the attempted arm tackle of San Francisco’s Lenoir. He dived across the goal line for his first career touchdown.

Despite being dominated for much of the first half, Seattle trailed 23-21.

ADAMS INJURED

Jamal Adams left the game in the second quarter with an injured shoulder. Equipment staffers took his helmet from the $70 million safety to keep him from returning to play. He went into the locker room late in the second quarter.

The team announced during the third quarter Adams had a shoulder injury. He returned to the sideline from the locker room midway through the period — in street clothes.

Usual sixth, dime defensive back Ryan Neal replaced Adams as strong safety. That meant less dime, six defensive backs and more nickel with Neal as the safety and Ugo Amadi as the nickel DB.

This story was originally published by The News Tribune and written by Gregg Bell.

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