National Football League

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks outlast San Francisco 49ers in wild one

Updated Dec. 6, 2021 12:51 a.m. ET

The Seattle Seahawks, as many observers on social media will tell you, play extremely interesting games.

That seems to be especially true when the opponent is the San Francisco 49ers.

The two NFC West rivals went toe-to-toe Sunday in a game so bananas it seemed as though momentum swung with the ferocity of a mama bear defending her cubs.

When the dust finally settled on Seattle's 30-23 victory, there had been 16 combined penalties, six turnovers, a 73-yard touchdown run off a fake punt, a history-making touchdown run, a game-saving fourth-down stop and a whole lot more.

With that said, what better way to sum up the proceedings than a heavy sampling of the must-see plays from the game?

Homer going the distance

Rather than punting from his own 27-yard line on Seattle's first possession, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll threw an all-time curveball to go up early on special teams.

Travis Homer, the running back turned upback on punts, took the snap and curled around to the left for the 73-yard stunner.

Perhaps that should have served as a warning: This game was not going to be run-of-the-mill.

Peterson makes history

The Niners rattled off 17 straight points to snag a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. The stretch included a Jimmy Garoppolo pass to George Kittle for a 24-yard touchdown to even things up.

Seahawks running back Adrian Peterson got Seattle back on track with a rushing touchdown, his first as a Seahawk, which tied him for 10th on the NFL's all-time touchdown list.

It also set a record for the 36-year-old Peterson, who rushed for a TD with his sixth NFL team — one more team than any other NFL player.

Tight end on the tightrope

Leading by just three following Peterson's touchdown, Garoppolo answered with a 48-yard touchdown to Kittle, who somehow managed to tiptoe down the sideline and stay in bounds for the score.

The Niners missed the extra point, and Seattle mounted a touchdown drive of its own right before halftime to make it a two-point game at the break.

A series of unfortunate events

San Francisco fumbled the kickoff to start the second half, giving Seattle the ball at the 26-yard line.

Wilson appeared to cash in on the gift with a pass to Gerald Everett on third-and-4, but the tight end bobbled — then kicked — the ball into the welcoming hands of K'Waun Williams.

Jimmy G & Co. couldn't get out of the shadow of the goalposts at Lumen Field, though.

In fact, the Niners went the wrong direction after Williams' impressive interception and ended up giving up a safety to Seahawks defender Carlos Dunlap.

Just like that, the game was tied 23-all.

Locking down the lead

After Garoppolo tossed a third-quarter interception around midfield, Wilson hooked up with Tyler Lockett to give the Seahawks a 30-23 lead.

Lockett caught what would be the game-winning touchdown, but it's tough to say it was the game-winning play.

Late drama

Seattle had a golden opportunity to put the game on ice, but Niners linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair punched the ball free just outside the end zone to give his team a lifeline.

With just a few ticks more than four minutes left and 98 yards to try to cover, Garoppolo got to work immediately.

He found Kittle — who finished with a game-high nine catches for 183 yards — with a 29-yard pass, and the Niners were off to the races.

Eight plays later, with 38 seconds left on the clock, the Niners were sitting with a first-and-goal from Seattle's 7-yard line. That was where Seattle buckled down, bottling up a pair of Elijah Mitchell runs for 4 yards before forcing Garoppolo to throw.

His attempt on third-and-goal fell incomplete, and Dunlap disrupted the fourth-down try with a crucial deflection.

Phew!

The win ended a three-game losing streak for the Seahawks (4-8) and locked up a season sweep of the Niners (6-6), putting pressure on Kyle Shanahan's team in the hunt for the playoffs.

It might be a case of too little, too late for the Seahawks in terms of making the postseason, but that didn't stop them from celebrating a breathless win against their rivals.