The 49ers (5-8) host the Seattle Seahawks (8-5) at Candlestick Park for a 5:30 PT kickoff on Thursday Night Football.
Matt Hasselbeck starts at quarterback for Seattle. Shaun Alexander runs the ball. Deion Branch leads the receivers. Alex Smith starts for the 49ers; Frank Gore at running back; Antonio Bryant at receiver. Vernon Davis the tight end.
Three-day turnaround Thursday night at Candlestick. The 49ers (5-8) host the Seattle Seahawks (8-5) in the NFC West home rematch, the kind of short-week primetime spot where the year's competitive arc gets one more division audience.
Alex Smith stays the starter. Frank Gore the lead back, within 100 yards of the team's single-season rushing record. Antonio Bryant the WR1. Matt Hasselbeck returns from injury for Seattle. Shaun Alexander at running back.
Favored by Seattle by 3 on the road. The kind of Thursday-night home rematch where the year's identity tape, in front of a Thursday Bay Area crowd, gets one more credible audience.
Week 15 Thursday Night Football across the NFC sees the playoff field nearly set. The Bears (11-2), Saints, Cowboys, Eagles, Falcons, and Giants compete for division titles and wild-card spots. The Seahawks (8-5) lead the NFC West with the 49ers (5-8), Rams (6-7), and Cardinals (4-9) all trailing. Around the AFC the Patriots, Colts, Steelers, and Chargers dominate. The Thursday game is the kind of week where the 49ers, in primetime, can produce the kind of upset the year's identity tape needs.
Through thirteen games the 49ers are 5-8 with a -121 point differential. Alex Smith averages 6.8 yards per attempt with 13 TDs and 14 INTs. Frank Gore averages 99 rushing yards a game (team-record pace; 1,304 yards through 13 games) with five TDs. Antonio Bryant averages 60 receiving yards a game with four TDs. The defense allows 26.4 points per game. The Seahawks are 8-5 with Matt Hasselbeck back from injury. Shaun Alexander averages 60 rushing yards a game. Deion Branch leads the team in receiving. Vegas opens Seattle as 3-point road favorites; total 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 9-4 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 7-6 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-7 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-7 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 10-3 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-5 | W4 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-7 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-9 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 10-3 | L2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-5 | W2 |
| Tennessee Titans | 6-7 | W4 |
| Houston Texans | 4-9 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 11-2 | W7 |
| Denver Broncos | 7-6 | L4 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7-6 | L2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-11 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-5 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 5-8 | L2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5-8 | L3 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-9 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 8-5 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 7-6 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-6 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-9 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11-2 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-7 | W1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5-8 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 9-4 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-6 | W2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 6-7 | L3 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-10 | L3 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | Shaun Alexander 3 yard rush ( Josh Brown kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Joe Nedney 39 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Vernon Davis 8 yard pass from Alex Smith ( Joe Nedney kick) | 10-7 |
| 49ers | Frank Gore 20 yard pass from Alex Smith ( Joe Nedney kick) | 17-7 |
| 49ers | Alex Smith 18 yard rush ( Joe Nedney kick) | 24-7 |
| Seahawks | Jerramy Stevens 22 yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck ( Josh Brown kick) | 24-14 |
Frank Gore ran for 144 yards on 29 carries and Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes and the 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks 24-14 at Candlestick Park on Thursday Night Football. Smith finished 14-of-25 for 162. Arnaz Battle caught five for 97 with one of the touchdowns. The defense intercepted Matt Hasselbeck twice. Shaun Alexander ran for 73 and a touchdown. The 49ers improved to 6-8 with the division win.[1][2][3]
Frank Gore ran for 144 yards Thursday night at Candlestick. The 49ers' lead back, in his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the year (putting him at 1,448 yards on the year, within reach of the team's single-season rushing record), produced the kind of primetime division win the year's identity tape was hoping for.
Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes. Arnaz Battle caught five for 97 with a TD. Vernon Davis caught one for 27. The defense intercepted Matt Hasselbeck twice. Shaun Alexander ran for 73 with a touchdown. The 49ers beat the Seahawks 24-14 in the kind of short-week home division win that gives the year's identity tape another credible chapter.
6-8. The kind of Thursday-night home win where, with Gore on team-record pace and the defense producing in primetime, the year's competitive arc still has the kind of football the staff wants to point at. The Arizona Cardinals on the road next Sunday. The kind of December where the staff's late-season identity tape is producing real football.
49ers 24, Seahawks 14. Margin: +10. Fourteen-game record: 6-8, -111 differential.
* Alex Smith: 14-of-25 for 162, 2 TDs (Battle + 1), 0 INTs.
* Frank Gore: 29 carries for 144 (8th 100-yard rushing game).
* Arnaz Battle: 5 catches for 97, 1 TD.
* Matt Hasselbeck: 20-of-37 for 220, 1 TD, 2 INTs.
* Shaun Alexander: 23 carries for 73, 1 TD.
* 49ers D: 2 INTs of Hasselbeck.
* 49ers 6-8; Seahawks 8-6.
A 24-14 Thursday Night Football home win over the Seattle Seahawks at Candlestick. Frank Gore's 8th 100-yard rushing game of the year puts him on team-record pace. The 49ers improve to 6-8.
How it unfolded
The 49ers scored on their opening drive with a Smith touchdown to Arnaz Battle to make it 7-0. The Seahawks answered with a Hasselbeck touchdown to tie at 7-7. The 49ers added a Joe Nedney field goal to make it 10-7. The second quarter was Shaun Alexander's touchdown to put the Seahawks ahead 14-10. The 49ers added a Smith touchdown to make it 17-14 at halftime. The third quarter was scoreless. The fourth quarter was a Joe Nedney field goal that made it 20-14, then a 49ers touchdown to close it 24-14. The defense closed it out with two Hasselbeck interceptions.
The turning point
Frank Gore's second-half rushing dominance. With the 49ers up 17-14 at halftime and the Seahawks looking for the kind of late-game comeback the year had produced earlier in the year, Gore's eight-carry, 56-yard drive sequence in the third and fourth quarters gave the offense the kind of clock-management possession the defense could close out.
By the numbers
Smith 162 passing on 25 attempts with two TDs. Gore 144 rushing on 29 carries (8th 100-yard game). Battle 97 receiving on 5 catches with a TD. Davis 27 receiving. Hasselbeck 220 on 37 attempts with a TD and two INTs. Shaun Alexander 73 rushing with a TD.
Personnel watch
Frank Gore's eighth 100-yard rushing game (1,448 total yards, within reach of the team's single-season rushing record). Alex Smith's clean two-TD primetime game. Arnaz Battle's first touchdown of the year. The defense's two Hasselbeck interceptions. The kind of Thursday-night home division win where the year's identity tape, even at 6-8, has produced the kind of football the staff wants to point at.
What it means
6-8 with the Cardinals on the road next Sunday. The kind of Thursday-night home division win where Frank Gore is on the verge of breaking the team's single-season rushing record. The kind of December where the year's identity tape still has two more chapters to write.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Alex Smith | 14/25 | 162 | 2 | 0 | |
| SEA | |||||
| Matt Hasselbeck | 20/37 | 220 | 1 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 29 | 144 | 0 | 40 |
| Alex Smith | 6 | 33 | 1 | 18 |
| Michael Robinson | 1 | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| Arnaz Battle | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Maurice Hicks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEA | ||||
| Shaun Alexander | 23 | 73 | 1 | 18 |
| Maurice Morris | 2 | 14 | 0 | 12 |
| Matt Hasselbeck | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Mack Strong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Arnaz Battle | 5 | 97 | 0 | 54 |
| Frank Gore | 4 | 34 | 1 | 20 |
| Antonio Bryant | 2 | 16 | 0 | 11 |
| Vernon Davis | 3 | 15 | 1 | 8 |
| SEA | ||||
| D.J. Hackett | 8 | 87 | 0 | 14 |
| Jerramy Stevens | 5 | 64 | 1 | 22 |
| Deion Branch | 4 | 54 | 0 | 21 |
| Nate Burleson | 2 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| Mack Strong | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2006 W15 - 49ers at Seattle Seahawks - Game Thread
