"Scary" Barry Rodriguez Productions (BRP): 49ERS OUT TOUGH SEAHAWKS 19-17

Vs.

Scary Barry Rodriguez

December 8, 2013

Candlestick park , San Francisco - There was a festive mood at Candlestick park prior to the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the visiting Seattle Seahawks. All the hype about the potential for violence against Seahawk fans was shown to be an invention of the media. The Seattle fans walked around the parking lot unmolested and all parties concerned were focusing on having a great day. I can only speculate that the laid back mood was possibly the result of herbal refreshments.

Phil Dawson

Kevin Osgood

Russell Wilson

The bullies from the Northwest were not in evidence from the very start of the game. In the first quarter the 49ers scored twice on two Phil Dawson field goals , one from 23 yards out , the other 48 yards out. The Niner defense caused Russell Wilson to fumble . Special teams stepped up when Kevin Osgood blocked a punt. It wasn't high drama !

Luke Willson

Marshawn Lynch

The Seahawks offense scored twice in the second quarter. Marshawn Lynch ran it right up the middle from 11 yards out for one touchdown. Then the 49ers red zone challenged unit managed another Phil Dawson field goal from 52 yards out. The first three times the Niners reached the red zone they only scored nine points. The Seahawks then rocked San Francisco with another touchdown when Luke Willson caught a 39 yard pass for another score. This put the Seahawks up on the 49ers 14-9 with the second quarter winding down.

Richard Sherman

Anquan Boldin

Then it dawned on the Niner coaching staff and offensive unit that they were in danger of going in at halftime behind in the score. They had dominated the line of scrimmage yet were losing ! During the second quarter a mini battle had been ongoing between the trash talking Seahawk Richard Sherman and Anquan Boldin. Minus the home town cooking Sherman was flagged twice for defensive holding in the quarter. These calls were never made in Seattle !

Michael Crabtree

Colin Kaepernick

As if they turned on a switch the 49er offensive unit directed by Colin Kaepernick marched down the field and scored on an 8 yard pass play to go ahead 16-14. The first half was rough in the trenches and the second half would prove to be the same. It was like a WWE "no disqualification " match ! No beauty just bruises , rough gridiron poetry !

In the third quarter the 49er defensive unit shut down Seattle. There were penalties handed out to both teams due to the level of aggression on the field. In the lead up to this game some Seahawk players had made many cocky statements. No quarter was being given. The game was too close for comfort for the Niner fans. The threat of Russell Wilson running at will against the 49er defense never happened. The one scoring opportunity the 49ers had ended when Kaepernick was intercepted deep in Seattle territory from the twenty yard line. The intended receiver Michael Crabtree didn't make much of an effort to prevent the defender from making the pick ! This seems to be a consistent problem with the NIner receivers.

Steven Hauschka

The fourth quarter was a continuation of the other three quarters , rough sledding ! Seattle briefly had a glimmer of victory when they went ahead on a Steven Hauschka field goal from 31 yards out. With just over five minutes left on the game clock the Seahawks led 17-16 . The question on the minds of all the 49er fans was would their hometown heroes come up short again in another close game ? The tough and humble Frank Gore would prove to be the Niner's salvation. In all the recent games opposing defenses have been stacking the box against the run. The 49er passing game hasn't been effective enough to make that a losing proposition.

Frank Gore

Against heavy odds Gore managed to break through the line into the Seattle secondary for a 51 yard run that put the Niners in field goal range. Then the offense continued to ground out game clock consuming yards. In a repeat of their other loss the Seahawks had to use all three time outs in crunch time. With thirty seconds left on the game clock Phil Dawson booted a 22 yard game winning field goal . It wasn't pretty , but it was a must win , keeping San Francisco in wild card contention.

Both the offensive and defensive units of the 49ers played a well disciplined game. There wasn't much fireworks but their weren't many miscues either ! The Niners didn't allow the smack talking Seahawks to get them off their game plan. Richard Sherman's very physical type of press coverage on Anquan Bodin backfired. Boldin had 6 catches for 93 yards. Surprisingly the 49ers had 8 rushing first downs to Seattle's 1 .

Colt McCoy

The Niner defense held Russell Wilson in check and prevented " the beast " Marshawn Lynch from taking over the game. He gained a respectable 72 yards on 20 carries and scored one touchdown. His highlight reel time was limited ! Colin Kaepernick continues to be just a " game manager " . His 15/29 and 175 passing yards and one touchdown show that he still isn't comfortable with the 49er playbook. He ran only as a last resort. It is obvious that the coaching staff is doing its utmost to prevent him from sustaining any type of injury. When your backup quarterback is Colt McCoy that is the sensible thing to do !

The 49ers without the aid of the frosty weather conditions put a chill on the Seattle Seahawks winning streak. As the days of December quickly pass by, the permanent deep freeze for Candlestick park looms ever nearer. One more home game and only the cold winds blowing in from the bay will remain. The San Francisco 49ers should then be listed as " Before Candlestick or BC and After Candlestick, AC " as they travel on to eventually reside in the mysterious territory known as the " San Francisco bar area in Santa Clara !